Half Life Reborn
by Killerblonde
Summary: What if it was someone else in test chamber C-33/a? What if nobody agreed to be administrator of Earth, and the combine had no reason to let humanity live? Half Life Reborn is a remake of HL with new enemies, new allies, and a whole new faction. Review!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Dr. Lexine Lynn Stapleton looked up at the Nevada sky, catching a last gleam of sunlight before the tram slid into the carved rock. _I think I'll miss that the most_, she thought. The tram ceased to a halt, as the automated system waited for the heavy doors to close behind it. A section of rail extended and connected to the rail holding the tram Dr. Stapleton was riding afterwards. A small shower of sparks fell from it, confirming a secure lock.

-Welcome to the Black Mesa transit system- bleeped an automated voice.

The young woman looked down and fidgeted with her unique necklace. She looked around as the tram lurched forward, searching for anyone she could converse with. Finding only another scientist who looked very experienced, she looked down again, and nervously toyed with the beautiful amulet hanging from her neck.

"First day?" asked an African scientist, sitting across from her. The new scientist blushed, and nodded. "Don't worry," the man said. "I was scared the first couple of days. Just follow the painted banners on the walls, and don't be afraid to ask a guard for directions."

"Thanks," she said, smiling.

_I only got lost two or three times_, the scientist added to himself. The car continued moving, moving past multiple windows and platforms, all with various scientists, eating, talking, and collecting samples, all perfectly calm. This only made her more nervous, seeing people just like her living underground normally.

-The time is; nine A.M. Current topside temperature is; three hundred and nine point six seven degrees Kelvin-

Hearing the time, Dr. Stapleton was reminded how early she had to wake up to take the secret helicopter to Black Mesa. She rubbed her forehead, secretly wishing for some Red Bull. The tram slid into a vertical tube, and a large door closed behind it. After latching onto the corkscrew piece of track, it turned the tram slowly, bringing it down to the correct level. Another piece of track connected to the section the two scientist's tram was on, sparked a few times, and then the car went on.

-The Black Mesa compound is kept as a pleasant two hundred ninety three degrees Kelvin-

"Wish you had an energy drink or something?" the African man said. The young woman laughed slightly, and moaned. "Sorry; there's none down here. If you do pass out, try not to be leaning over a railing," he added, trying to lighten her mood.

_Ugh, he's right. Cheer up, Lexine! Its cooler down here, it pays well, and you can practice theoretical physics! Goodness, have you forgotten what you came down here to do already?_

-Inbound to; Sector C test labs. Please keep your limbs inside the tram at all times-

The voice coming from the speakers strategically placed around the tram soothed her. She closed her eyes, and took slow breaths, as it was advised in the Black Mesa handbook they all owned. Listening to her own heartbeat, Lexine tried to slow it down. Being unsuccessful, she removed the thick book from one of her inner pockets on her lab coat. All lab coats for scientists in Black Mesa were specially designed with the scientist's name, security level, and a logo comprised of a black plateau in a circle. Dr. Lynn Stapleton flipped to the index, and searched for some sort of calming technique, as she was semi-claustrophobic.

The new scientist's gaze was briefly shifted, as she looked at an intimidating rocket to her left, making her very nervous. She started to sweat, and her heartbeat accelerated to unhealthy speeds. Looking back down, she searched for the section on claustrophobia.

-In the event of an emergency, please evacuate the tram quickly, disabled people first. Stay away from electrified rails, and proceed to an emergency station-

Lexine quickly looked up from the handbook again, listening to the safety procedures and trying to memorize them, and then turned her gaze back to the thick book. Fingering through the seemingly endless sections, she whispered each to herself, searching for help for claustrophobic employees.

"C.A.C . - E., cameras and security, canned foods… no…, control and containment, this isn't working."

She flipped to the back of the index, looking for the 'P' section.

"Pencils (and other seemingly harmless weapons), PG films, ah; phobias."

Dr. Stapleton anxiously searched through the thin pages of the Black Mesa Employee Handbook, comparable to a bible because of the thickness of the pages and the amount of information inside, until she found what she needed on page 793. Skimming through facts she already knew, she read the advice column to herself.

_In the event a Black Mesa employee finds him or herself in a state of discomfort because of claustrophobia, or any other phobia, please interrupt any critical activity. Proceed to a medical center for anti-phobic hormone distribution. If the phobia worsens or you find yourself feeling unwell, please go to your nearest medical center for an anti- hormone counter drug. If all else fails, drink lots of fluid and get some rest._

Lexine took a moment to look up, and watch the tram's progress. A large yellow robot caught her attention, carrying some brown crates across a walkway. The tram had halted to allow it to pass. Then, on a rail parallel to hers, a tram went speeding down it, narrowly missing the machine. Although it whizzed by quickly, she could have sworn she had seen a suspicious, out of place man in a suit. Her own claustrophobia quickly pushed the thought out of her fragile mind.

"Yikes!" exclaimed Lexine's new friend. "That tram's gonna derail." Dr. Lynn Stapleton blinked, and looked back down at the book, nicknamed the B.M.E.H., she held.

_If you still are feeling phobic and cannot get rid of the anxiety or cope with it, consider discontinuing employment in the Black Mesa research facility. All scientists wanting to discontinue employment with the Black Mesa research facility will need to take an oath of silence __and_ _have a memory wipe. Any scientists found trying to remind his or her employ time in the Black Mesa research facility at ANY time after being fired or dismissed, will be brought back and used as a test subject. After being fired or quitting, please refrain from working for Aperture Science._

_That sure helped_, she thought.

"You think I should?" Lexine said, closing her handbook and returning it to its spot in her coat.

"Hmm?"

"I'm semi-claustrophobic. Do those, um, anti-phobic hormones work?" She asked, slightly embarrassed.

The man's eyes widened, and he replied, "NO! Don't take those things. I had a friend who got nauseous when he saw blood, and he was in the medical facility, so he went in and got some. A day later, he went insane, and a week later, he turned into a vegetable."

"Whoa—"

"Yeah," he warned. "Those hormones screw with your body. Just look at a light and say 'there's nothing down here to fear' four times."

"Thanks," Lexine softly said.

"No, thank _you_," he said. "My name's Dr. Aretino. I work in test chamber C three three A."

"Hey," Dr. Lynn said, forgetting her claustrophobia, "that's where I'll work!"

Dr. Aretino smiled, knowing he had helped a fellow scientist. _That's something the B.M.E.H. could never do_, he thought_._

Lexine then remembered seeing C.A.C. - E. in the handbook. Curious, she flipped back to the index, and found it. She then turned to page 394 to read about it.

_Operation C.A.C. - E.; it stands for Control and Containment Execution. Many employees here at Black Mesa call it C.A.K.E. It is only initiated in extreme emergencies. As soon as the C.A.C. - E. signal is sent, the United States military will be called to clean up whatever incident happened. There are three codes of C.A.C. - E.; code blue, red, and black. Blue will call the military forces, but they will only be here to investigate. On red, they will destroy everything and everybody in their path. Black will call in the secret service to exterminate everyone in the facility and plant a nuclear bomb in the center of it. The punishment for prank calls using the C.A.C. - E. will be immediate termination of employment, followed by death by firing squad. FUN FACT; cac- (same as caco-) is a prefix meaning bad._

_Maybe I shouldn't have read that... _she thought, now slightly queasy. Dr. Aretino saw the expression on her face and opened his mouth to speak. "You found C.A.K.E?"

"You can just read my thoughts can't you?"

"Heh," he chuckled. "I've been here awhile. Nearly every employee finds that article and reads it. Some people think they have mind control probes to _make_ you read it, just to scare you."

Dr. Lynn chuckled, and then was reminded of her worries. "Just stick to the book. It might not do much for your phobias, but it teaches you how to build a handgun out of paperclips, a rubber band, and your own spit; everything but the necessary," her new friend advised.

Lexine smiled and nodded, almost understanding the true nature of Black Mesa. She put the book in her lap, and leaned back into the blue padded seat. It had a thin cover of a strong fabric over a hard metal surface, making it very uncomfortable. The tram turned a corner, and continued down a rock tunnel with sunlight streaming down through the holes. As it passed near a small beam of light, the new scientists smiled, closing her eyes, savoring the natural light that passed over her face. The African scientist, however, squinted his, and raised a hand as a shield.

_I hope I don't become a sun hating mole living down here… _she worried.

-If you find yourself exposed to hazardous chemicals or radiation, please proceed to the nearest medical facility immediately. Standard radiation and biochemical contamination scans are required for continued employment in the Black Mesa center-

"What kind of chemicals would we be exposed to anyway?" Lexine asked.

"Oh, toxic waste, various acids, nuclear energy, the usual."

"Is that ALL I have to worry about?" Dr. Lynn sarcastically asked.

"Well, eh, um, that and stray laser beams, hot steam, the occasional atomic bomb, fire, falling into a pit or off a walkway, among other things. Sorry there, just so you'll have no surprises."

Lexine gulped. However, her conscious self reminded her she would be working with paper and pencils, not lasers and bombs.

"Do the long rides ever bother you?" she sheepishly asked.

"You'll get used to them. Just look out the, um, side or read your manual. Flip to a random page and use the information that day; a little game me and my colleges play."

Taking Dr. Aretino's advice, Dr. Stapleton opened her manual to life in, and under, a rock, and started reading aloud. "How to turn a sock into a bandage; First, take off your, or another scientist's sock. Then, rip or cut a hole in the bottom. Using your arm or leg, make it as big as the hole at the top. After you have a fabric tube, slip it over the limb with a wound, until it covers it. Use a second sock if the bleeding is bad. Make a proper sling if the wound is internal. If the wound is on your neck, use a large sock and stretch it over your head. If it is on your waist or belly, and you have a slim body, consider using the body of a pant leg. If you have a medium-large body, use a smaller scientist's lower shirt. Of course, this is an emergency measure, so if it isn't too far away, going to a medical facility. Um…"

"Some are harder than others," the experienced scientist replied. "Read another; keep your mind off being half a mile underground."

"Okay… let's see… ah, I found one! Ah, how to cut your nails without a nail trimmer. If one is handy, it should be used instead of the following alternative. First, straighten out a paperclip, and then, twist it vertically. The carefully arranged molecules will separate, (all Black Mesa paperclips are designed this way,) allowing you to use the two remaining halves as knives. This can also be used for defense against anyone trying to harm you; however a Black Mesa standard pistol is a much better alternative." After reading the line, Lexine examined her nails. "Well, I have a paperclip, but my nails don't need trimming." Then, her fingernails that she was examining were illuminated by light. She looked up to find security guard pounding on a door. She was standing on a platform in the middle of a dark tunnel, her flashlight, sporting a white logo on the barrel, shone off to the side into the tram for the brief moment when it had passed.

"This whole facility has been experiencing problems lately. They can bend dark energy around a pin, but they can't put in a simple door with a handle. Even the doors to my locker are electronic. Everything's connected."

"Is that so?" asked Dr. Lynn, intrigued.

"Yeah, the right person could go to one end of the facility, which is about three miles away, about five kilometers below us, and open the door for that guard down there."

This fact made Lexine's head fill with ideas and fears of what an experienced hacker could to. She blinked her eyes, and looked back down at the book.

"Is there _anything_ useful in this book?" she mumbled to herself. "Wait, I think I—"

"Dr. Stapleton, I think we're here. You should put the book away," said Dr. Aretino, pointing to an illuminated platform in the distance.

"Oh," she said, slightly blushing.

"Well, it'll be a pleasure working with you," he told her, leaning across the aisle to shake her hand. Lexine reached over, put her hand out, and shyly shook back. His shake was strong; his hands big and rough from work and hers were small and fragile. They both returned to their seats, and listened to the automated voice, now playing again.

-Now arriving at; sector C test labs-

"Here we are!" the Dr. Aretino said. The tram slowed to a halt, and clicked into place on the platform. Dr. Stapleton looked around for any lights other than those on the tram and at the station she was arriving at. She stood, and waited for the door to open, however it was then she realized that a security guard had to do it. She looked around, and found a dark figure slouched against a red metal beam.

After a moment, Dr. Aretino yelled, "Hey! Are you going to let us out?" The security guard, leaning against the side rail with his head down, abruptly jerked up, and jogged over to the tram. After punching in a three digit code, the door slid open, and the guard let out a slight chuckle. "Sorry there. It's the end of my shift and," he took a break to yawn, and continued, "and my replacement is running late."

"I know how you feel," Lexine said. "I had to wake up at like five in the morning! Took a military helicopter here, and slept the entire journey."

"Yeah, well, let's go inside. It feels weird out here, in the dark," after that, he stumbled over to a heavy blast door, sealed off by two metal rods. He paused for a moment at the control panel, trying to remember the code. "Um, eh, huh?" he murmured. Using his right hand, he brought it to his face to wipe his nose. Then, using the same hand, he brought it down to punch in a code. Thankfully, the doors opened before he had a chance to contaminate the keypad, and his replacement came out. "Thank god," the sleepy guard said, wiping his hands on his bluish pants. He entered the airlock, and so did Dr. Lynn Stapleton and her new acquaintance.

"Sorry I was late; I was trying to get the doors to work properly. I didn't want to lock myself out here."

Then, after smiling at us, he closed the heavy door in which we had entered. A white cloud filled the room, and Lexine could make out the words 'decontamination in progress' from a robotic voice. The vapor faded away, and then the second door opened, half of it sliding up, half of it siding down, after the hydraulic bars moved away horizontally. The desperately sleepy guard strolled towards his quarters, in a daze. After watching him go by, she turned her attention to the inside; there was a large desk, housing three monitors and computers, along with the strangest mouse Dr. Lynn had ever seen. It had two wheels, that weren't wheels at all, rather light sensors, and _three_ buttons, but they weren't buttons, but instead rubber pressure sensors. The guard controlling it used all five fingers on it. A scientist saw her inspecting them, and answered her facial expression. "They're designed for advanced calculations and operations. You know; quantum physics and stuff like that."

"Hmm," she mumbled in response. She looked up, and saw a large view screen on the wall. It had a map of the world, with a single light representing the location of Black Mesa; the facility she was going to spend most, if not all of her life in. Then, the picture changed to a safety reminder; stay away from moving machinery. It switched again, this time to a picture of a smiling guard in front of the American flag. _Only forty nine stars… _she thought. Obviously this facility needed major updates.

"Here, follow me," said Dr. Aretino. He walked around the desk, waving to a fellow scientist he knew, and continued right down a hallway. I followed, but was stopped by a gurad at the desk. "Hey, uh Stapleton; I had an intro packet for you, but some jerk screwed up my files. Heck, he hacked the whole mainframe!" Lexine rolled her eyes, and resumed following her friend. Behind her, she heard the guard mutter, "How'd he manage to do that?" She briefly thought about it, recalling how Dr. Aretino had described how the computers worked; one big computer, with a whole lot of monitors.

"In Black Mesa, we don't move around a lot. Here in Sec. C will be your locker, bunk bed, kitchen, and lab you work in. The only time you'll get out is to investigate a sample that can't be moved from another sector, or to meet up with a friend during a day off." Lexine nodded, still following her friend. "See," he said, pointing to a blue band, labeled 'Control Room'. "That one leads right…right," he pointed to a metal door with a yellow button, and five red ones. "In there is where we monitor everything in Sector C." Dr. Stapleton shyly peeked inside the large room, and at the various monitors, all being watched, (and recorded, she assumed.) Her new friend led her to a hallway across from the room she was observing. It slanted downward, wires ran below its floor, a thin metal mesh was the only thing standing between them and the wires. It surely was strong enough to hold numerous people, but she walked to the side anyway. Ahead were three bands, green, purple, and orange, painted on the wall. "The green one," he said, visually following it right, "leads to a small cafeteria; two high quality vending machines, a microwave, and a couple of tables. The purple one, leading the opposite direction, goes—" "Can we go gets some food?" Lexine interrupted. "I got up so early, I forgot to have breakfast." Even if she did, they had pumped her stomach right there on the helicopter, to ensure she wasn't carrying any recording devices or cell phones, but she didn't want to remind herself of that.

"Good idea," he said. Then, the African scientists led her down the hallway to the right. They made two ninety degree turns left before they turned right into a bedroom sized cafeteria. A scientist was munching on a burrito at one of the tables. "Help yourself," he said, seeing Lexine was new. She nodded, and quickly walked towards a green vending machine. She quickly noticed there was no money slots, (not that she had any on her at the moment,) and that the only buttons were for the food. "Isn't that something? Everything's free," Dr. Aretino said. "Yeah," the scientist at the table said, "but don't even think about taking more that you'll need. Some guy tried to take lots of food, and use it to destroy one of our multi-million dollar machines, and he got a mind wipe, and was sent out of here right away! Pity; Dr. Fredrick was one of our best scientists."

Dr. Stapleton took the advice, adding it to all the other tips she had acquired, and focused on choosing a suitable breakfast. After a moment of searching, she found a vegan food pack; perfect for her. Lexine tapped the button 'F8', and then realized it wasn't a normal press button; it only sensed heat and motion. Instead of having a twisting spring that dropped the bag into a slot, one was released from the back, and brought to an eye level slot, so nobody had to bend down. She cautiously gasped it, and examined the front and back.

_VEGAN BREAKFAST DELUX – The breakfast for the rest of us!_

She briefly chuckled, knowing Seinfeld couldn't sue them, and then turned it over.

_THE STRING BEAN THEORY:_

_This breakfast packet is a mix of vegetables, all natural. They are designed for a vegan worker, searching for a tasty breakfast in Black Mesa. In this pouch of bliss, there are; string beans, carrots, broccoli, all soaked in cleansing/hydrating fluids, and lots of love from Sector K4._

Lexine, finding none of the puns funny, slid her finger across the top as she was told to do by the microscopic instructions on it, and the molecules disintegrated, opening the package. She reached in, and pulled out a carrot. She popped it into her mouth, and, slowly at first, began to chew. "Everything's great down here, with the possible exception of lighting," said her friend, wanting to move on.

"Aren't you hungry?" Dr. Stapleton asked, pulling out a bunch of string beans, which were a lot better than she expected.

"No, I just ate lunch."

"Lunch?"

"Yeah, we're all on different schedules," he answered, reading her mind again. Dr. Aretino walked out of the room, Lexine following and still eating, and led her down the hall.

"This last band leads to the locker rooms and dorms." Lexine saw that the orange band had two things on it; Locker Rooms (M/F), and Dormitories (M/F). She followed him down the wall, until they reached their destination. "Here's where you will put your stuff." He said, opening the door to the female locker room. In it were benches, lockers, and a bathroom. It reminded her of her school locker room, only this one was bigger, more sanitary, and she wasn't teased by all the other girls for being a nerd.

_Now I'll be teased for something else_, she thought.

"And here," Dr. Aretino said as he pointed across the hall to an adjacent room, "will be where you'll sleep." The new scientist tapped the yellow button on the door, and it opened, allowing her to inspect the dorm. She saw that there were people sleeping in the beds, probably running a night shift. "Well, I have to go change; I've been wearing this outfit for two days now. See you in three three 'A'!" With that, he trotted off down the hall.

Lexine, now alone for the first time since the morning, went into the locker room, and closed the door behind her. Then, a certain word caught her eye; Stapleton. It was written on a locker, that she assumed was hers. Seeing that is was activated by a key card, she hunted through her front pocked for her ID. She found hers, with a picture of herself in front of the Black Mesa logo. After sliding the black end down a slit carefully placed in the door, it hissed, and slid upwards. Her eyes followed it up, but were quickly drawn to the contents within; all the things she needed were already there. Textbooks, light coats, a change of every type of clothes she needed, her diplomas, even some instructions for their washing machine. Dr. Lynn put a hand inside her lab coat, and removed a picture of her best friend from college. She placed it on a shelf, took a step back, and smiled.

_I could get used to living down here._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Lazily flipping through the channels, Kurtiss searched for a reliable news station. Blinking, he looked at the bottom of his television for the time. Eight thirty A.M.

_Why'd I get up this early?_

After accessing each channel at least three times, he gave up and shut off the TV. Getting up from the couch, he stumbled over to the kitchen for breakfast. He stopped after reaching the pantry, and leaned against the wall. Using his left hand, he rubbed his eyes, trying to get out of his groggy state. Then, he heard laughing and shouting from the apartment above him. Picking up the broom he used, he pounded it against the ceiling, swearing under his breath.

"Hey, what are you going to do about it, Turdiss?"

Angering him _slightly_, Kurtiss thrust the broom upward, breaking through the peeling paint and thin plaster layer, however stopping at the wood. The laughter upstairs increased, followed by the stomping of multiple pairs of feet. He pulled the broom out of the ceiling, reminding himself of the fine that would come as a cloud of dust fell in his face.

"Bottom feeders…" he mumbled under his breath, throwing the broom on the floor. To soothe himself, he walked over to his closet, and removed a safe from a hidden door near the bottom of the room. Quickly twisting in the code, he opened the door, and counted his money.

_Just a few more months, and then you'll live in your own house._

The sound of footsteps approaching made him hastily shove the money back in the safe. Then, he closed it, and put it back into its hiding spot. He leapt up onto his feet, brushing himself off. Kurtiss jogged over to the door someone was knocking on, and opened it.

"Hey, Josh!" Kurtiss said, vigorously shaking the hand of his friend. "How're you doing? Have you—" then, Josh stopped, noticing the small hole in the ceiling, dust still falling out of it. "Are those guys up stairs giving you a hard time again?"

"Nah, I don't mind," he lied. "In just a couple of month, I'll have my own place."

"Speaking of which," his friend replied, coming into the small apartment, "have you ever thought of getting a savings account? It'd be much safer."

"Psh! I don't need a bank to keep my money. Heck, as soon as I give them it, they'll probably use it for someone else, and at that point," Kurtiss explained, "all my savings are a number in the computer. I'd rather they be in a safe."

"Point taken," his friend understood.

"So, Josh; what did you come over this early for anyway? You don't live in an apartment full of obnoxious teenagers."

"I thought you and I could go get some coffee! You know, before it's packed."

"Don't you mean you and _me_?" Kurtiss asked.

"No, you and _I_, is grammatically correct," Josh said. "So, you want to go?"

"Sure, just let me find my keys," he replied, moving aside various newspapers on his small wooden table. "Uh Kurt," Josh said, waving his keys in the air, "how about if we take my car."

*****

"I am so glad we could get out together!" Josh said, trying to keep his eyes on the road. "We hardly see each other anymore; you work twenty four/seven, trying to buy a house, and I teach English five days a week."

"At least we both know the misery of dealing with teens," Kurtiss sarcastically remarked.

"Ha! That we do, that we do." Josh slowed down, and made a right turn, continuing through New York. Kurtiss envied Josh's smooth Lamborghini, compared to his rusty pickup truck. To stop counter his emotions of greed, he looked out the window. He noticed a woman, darting around in an ally, as if she was looking for something. "What's up with her?" He said.

"What?" Josh said, temperately taking his eyes off the road to look at the frantic lady. She looked back and waved her arms, trying to stop the car. "No, we don't have time. She could be looking for a pebble, for all we know."

"Uh, Josh; It's a SATURDAY! We have plenty of time!"

"Time is precious," he said. "Besides; if I stopped to help out every stranger I saw, I would've never gotten out of high school, believe me!"

Kurtiss moaned, saying "I don't usually wake up this early on a Saturday; you should give those kids more homework. Make them shut up for a few hours."

"That would also give me more to grade, Kurt. Everything has a consequence…"

"…and no good deed goes unpunished," they said at the time. Josh quietly chuckled, and merged into a parking spot, bringing his expensive car to a stop. He removed his silver key, and slipped it into one of his deep pockets. The two friends opened their respective doors, and got out. Kurtiss threw the door closed, which made his friend want to say something, and headed for the door to the coffee shop they were at. "Kurt, there's a parking meter." Josh gently closed the driver's door, and inched around the car to the sidewalk, minding the light traffic. "Yeah, I guess the least I can do is pay for this," Kurtiss said, digging through his pockets. He pulled out a few quarters, and plunked them into the meter. It beeped, and a timer began to count down. "Well, let's go!"

Josh followed his friend into the coffee shop, making a bell ringing on the door. The lady at the desk looked up from her fashion magazine, and welcomed them. "Hello! Do come in. My, you're early for a Saturday. It's what, hardly nine!"

"Yeah," Kurtiss mumbled. "You'd think we'd be asleep right now." Josh lightly elbowed him, as a way of telling him to shut up, and a silent apology to the cashier. "What can I get you two," she said, putting away her magazine. "Hmmm… I'll take a cup of black coffee," Josh replied and before the cashier could ask the question, "no cream or sugar; just plain."

"Okay, one cup of plain black coffee, and for you, sir?"

"Yes, I'll have, ah, an iced coffee, lots of sugar and cream," Kurtiss responded. She punched the numbers into her cash register, and pulled of the receipt. "Okay, that'll be three dollars, sixty four cents." Kurtiss reluctantly reached into his jeans, and removed his wallet. He pulled out a five, and handed it to her. "Keep the change," he said.

_Must be the polite thing to do_, he thought.

After putting the bill into the register, the young lady turned around, and walked over to the coffee brewers. "Just take a seat anywhere; I'll bring them out to you in a few minutes." Josh smiled, and walked over to a nearby table, taking a seat. Kurtiss did the same, putting his wallet back in its place.

"So, Kurt; how's that building coming?"

"Eh, it's coming along. Bit by bit it gets higher. Wish the manager's would pay me better, though."

"Yeah, same here. I get an incredibly low salary for having to put up with such juvenile kids. Yesterday, they had written 'scumbrle' on the board! I hate people making fun of my last name."

"What," the construction worker replied, "Strumble? Oh, that's nothing to worry about. They call me 'Turdiss'. One day, we're both going to get our revenge, eh?"

"Sure Kurtiss, yeah. We'd have to wait until the world ends, though, to avoid legal troubles."

Then, Kurtiss heard footsteps approaching from behind, and turned around. "Here's the coffee. If you need anything, just call me." She put the cardboard tray down on our table, and went back to the counter to read her fashion book. Josh picked up his mug of coffee, and took a big sip. Kurtiss had a plastic cup with a straw and sipped from it too, looking out the window.

Suddenly, a black van drove up, and halted to an abrupt stop. Two men in black uniforms leapt out of the back, holding a body. "Hey," Kurtiss joked. "It's the Men in Black!"

"No," Josh said, "their just—" Then he stopped, and saw what they were carrying. The two men struggled with the body, dressed in black pants and a white shirt. They threw the door open and hurried inside.

"Can I help... what is that?"

"None of your business," one said. The woman at the counter quickly moved over to the phone, and picked it up. "Don't bother calling the police," the other said, flashing a badge of some sort. She slowly put down the phone, and backed away. The two men pulled up a chair from another table, and put it at ours. They carefully placed the body in the chair, and it slumped backwards. "We brought a friend for you to play with."

Then, they ran out the door, and hopped back into the van. As quickly as they had come, they left, and the van drove off. It was then Kurtiss realized he was gripping his cup, his fingers starting to go numb from the cold. He quickly set it down on the table, and looked at Josh in shock. They both looked over at the body, and to their relief, it was breathing.

"Cool," Kurtiss said, very intrigued. "You think they're in the Mafia?"

Josh sighed, and put his face into his hands. "No, Kurt," he mumbled. Then, the man they had brought in murmured something, and shifted. "Hey, buddy!" Josh, said, snapping his fingers in front of the man's face. "C'mon! Wake up!" The man continued mumbling inaudible words, then his eyes flew open, and he bolted up out of his chair.

"NO! I didn't, hey!" Then, he stopped, and slowly took a seat. "Where am I?"

"You're in a coffee shop," said Kurtiss. "In New York," his friend added.

"Huh."

"Who were those men?" Josh asked.

"What men?"

"Do you remember anything?" Kurtiss said.

"Uh, yes; my name is, ah, Wilbert, yes, Wilbert. Wilbert… I give up. That's all I know. You said that there were men?"

"Yeah, they carried you in here," Josh said, after he took another swig of his coffee.

"You can remember nothing else, at all?" He took a sip of his drink.

"Give me a pad of paper and a pencil. Drawing things might help." Josh felt around in his shirt pocket, however the lady at the counter, who had been standing behind us was quick to give him one. She brought up a chair and sat down. Wilbert took the pencil in his left hand by instinct, and observed how he held it. "I'm left handed." He drew a circle, and then started making lines inside. He then stopped, and saw what he drew. After seeing nothing much, he erased it, and started again.

This time, he gave the pad of paper to Josh. "Give me a Rorschach test."

Josh, thinking it was a good idea, drew a sketchy hallway. "Where does this hallway lead?"

"Eh, another hallway."

Then, he flipped to a new page, and drew a cartoon building, in two dimensions. "What building is this?"

"Um, I don't know; a furniture store."

"Try writing down names, maybe something will stick out," Kurtiss suggested.

"Alright, hey, I found one already; Meijer!"

"That's the brand of the pencil," Josh said, giving the paper and pencil back to Wilbert.

"Oh." Then, he started a list of names. After about five minutes, he had filled up a whole page. "Any of them ring a bell?" The cashier asked, but then she saw people coming in the door. "Sorry, I have customers." Wilbert sadly shook his head.

She stood up, moved the chair back, and returned to her post. Two chattering girls entered, talking excitedly, and texting at the same time.

_Hope they order decaf_, Josh thought. Then, Wilbert winced in pain, dropping the pencil and bringing his left hand up to massage his head.

"Man, my head hurts like someone drove a dump truck through it!"

_Or out of it_, Kurtiss mentally added.

"I suggest we leave," Josh said, finishing off his coffee. "Wait, isn't that the van that dropped Wilbert off?" Kurtiss pointed out the window at a black van, way out in the distance, but still visible. As soon as he pointed at it, it drove away.

"Let's get back into the car," Josh said, helping Wilbert up. Kurtiss got up too, taking his iced coffee with him. Holding on to his shoulders, Josh helped Wilbert out the door. With a free hand, he reached into his pocket, and tapped the remote unlock button on his key. Kurtiss ran ahead, and opened the back door for the man. "Thanks," he said, getting into the car. He pulled it shut himself, and then Josh and his friend got in as well. "So," Josh said, turning around, "you remember where you live?"

"No."

"Do you remember where your family lives?" Kurtiss asked.

"No."

Kurtiss took a sip of his drink, and put it in the cup holder on the side of the door. "Wilbert, I think we should take you to a doctor," he said.

"Good idea," Josh replied. "If you have any insurance or medical history, they'd find you."

"Well, I guess so."

Josh started the car, but then looked out the opposite window at the parking meter. _Still a couple hours left; oh well._ He carefully pulled out of the spot and the meter automatically reset to zero. Josh merged with the traffic, and drove up to the stoplight.

"Thanks, you two. By the way, what are your names?"

"I'm Josh, and this is my friend Kurtiss."

"Okay. I think—" Then, he stopped.

"You okay back there?" Josh said, without taking his eyes off the road.

"I remember something! That stoplight; there's something about that stoplight."

"What?" Kurtiss asked.

"I…I don't know," he glumly replied.

"Well," Josh tried to lighten the mood, "it's a start." The light turned green, and he drove out into the intersection, continuing towards the hospital.

"So Wilbert, here's a math problem. I am saving money to buy a house, which costs about one hundred eighty thousand dollars, but I already have one third of that amount. I have been saving for four and a half years now, and have earned one hundred eight thousand so far for the house. However, the price just dropped six thousand dollars. Now how many months will it take for me to buy a house? That should keep you—"

"About three months," Wilbert instantly replied. Kurtiss turned around and looked at him in shock. He stared back with the same emotion.

"Dude; this guy is a genius!" Kurtiss shouted.

"I heard it," said Josh, wishing Kurtiss wouldn't shout. "However, it could be just, now that he lost his memory, he can think more clearly."

"No," Wilbert said. "I didn't think about that one at all. I didn't _need_ to think, I think. Huh? Oh, I'm so confused."

"Well, that's a mystery the doctors will solve," Josh said.

"This is what I'm talking about!" His friend whispered. "You leave things to other people to do! You always 'leave it to the authorities', or think 'you can only get in the way'."

Rolling his eyes, Josh turned his Lamborghini left, slowing down, and stopped right in front of the hospital. "Here we are!" He exclaimed.

"Nice car, by the way," Wilbert complimented, as Josh put his keys back in his pocket. They opened their respective doors, and exited the fancy vehicle.

Leading the way, Josh held the door to the hospital open, and they followed him in. After reaching the front desk, that wasn't far away, Josh was the first to introduce themselves. "Hi, eh, some people brought Wilbert here to a café not far down the street, and he can't remember a thing. Can you take him in?"

"Pardon me?"

"He means," Kurtiss responded, "we found this guy who lost his memory, and would like to leave him with you."

"Uh, does he have insurance?"

"I hope so," Wilbert said. "Can you search for me?"

"Sure, Wilbert is your name?" The lady asked. He nodded, and she began. After a few minutes of searching, she printed out a file with Wilbert's picture on it. "Ah, Wilbert Gathers. You were part of an experimental brain surgery, and it says here that if the results wiped your memory, we would help you find your house, job, bank account, and everything."

Wilbert sighed with relief, knowing someone would help him. "I don't know how I can repay you guys; thanks," he said, shaking their hands. "As soon as I find my bank account, I'm going to help you buy that house, thank you."

"I'll get Dr. Sarris to have a look at you. Just take a seat anywhere; I'll call you when she's ready."

Wilbert walked over to the waiting area, as Kurtiss and Josh left. They walked out of the main door smiling, knowing they had done a good deed. After getting back in the car, Josh said, "So, do you want me to drop you off back at your place, or do you want to go somewhere? I have the whole day off."

After thinking for a moment, Kurtiss replied, "Yeah, I have stuff to do; sorry."

"Okay." Josh then started the engine, and pulled back onto the street. "But Kurt, any Saturday you have off, I'm open; just give me a call."

"I'll keep that in mind."

After a few minutes of driving, Josh asked, "So, what do you have to do today? I know you're off work…"

"Uh, I have paper work to fill out. Also, unless I fix the hole in the ceiling, my house fund will go down a couple hundred dollars."

"I see."

*****

"Here we are!" Josh said, pulling up to the apartment building.

"Thanks Josh."

"Eh, don't mention it. Oh, don't forget your coffee," Josh noticed, stopping Kurtiss.

"Catch you later," Kurtiss said, closing the door to the car, after which, he jogged to the building, and slid inside the door. Josh then moved his car back onto the street, and started diving home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Lexine felt more relaxed after finishing breakfast. She slipped the wrapper into the small receptacle in the wall near her locker. It briefly glowed orange, as the plastic wrapper was flash melted. The plastic then was instantly compressed into a small tube, and was shot down to Sector W2 to be turned into a new wrapper, within a few hours.

Not taking note of any of this, she walked over to the door, and tapped the yellow button. The metal door slid open, allowing her to exit. She briefly panicked, not knowing which way she had come, but then remembered the trick with the light. Looking up at a light, she reminded herself that although Black Mesa was huge, Sector C wasn't very big compared to the rest. Then, she looked back down, and glanced around for any signs or directions.

"Are you the new girl they got down here?"

Dr. Stapleton then noticed an aged, bearded janitor, sweeping the floor a few feet away, wearing a dirt uniform. "Y-yes."

"Bah! You're a replacement from the last guy; Fredrick, I think. He tried to destroy their most expensive gadget down here."

"Why exactly?" She asked.

"Now, don't get me wrong, Dr. Fredrick was a good man, but once he saw that test chamber, he freaked! They had to wipe his mind and everything. Whatever he saw in that test chamber wasn't good…"

"Hey, that's where I'm going! Can you help me out, eh—"

"Roger."

"Yes, Roger," she corrected. "So, can you tell me how to get there?"

"If you must go there it's down the hallway to the left, back where you came in, but don't go there yet. Look; I'm just a janitor! I'm not even supposed to be keeping you from working. Just go down that hallway," Roger said, pointing in the direction away from the entrance to Sector C, "and turn left. Dr. Thomson should be there to walk you through everything."

"Thanks," she said, smiling.

"Now if you really wanted to thank me go the other way, and take a tram to the surface."

Lexine fell silent, and then he broke loose in a raspy chuckle. "You're late," he croaked out.

She nodded her head, and started walking down the hallway. She then noticed another band, this one saying 'Protective Equipment Storage', leading left. Lexine got to the end, and stopped. She looked right, and saw a short hallway ending with two rooms; the male locker rooms and dorms. She turned left, and continued on.

Upon reaching the end of the hallway, she saw a door to her right, and opened it, becoming more and more used to Black Mesa. "Ah, Dr. Stapleton," she was greeted. "So glad you could join us."

"Yes," said another scientist.

"Having fun yet?" Dr. Aretino said, completing the trio.

She nervously smiled, and joined the group.

"So, as I was saying, test chamber three is completed, and we just got a huge Xen sample; the biggest we ever obtained."

"Dr. Meijer, I would like to explain this to our new employee here."

"Yes, doctor, please."

"Well," he said, "I am Dr. Thomson. Sector C, anomalous materials lab, is currently working on a Xen project. We are hoping to unlock the secrets of faster-than-light travel, with the help of it. We managed to get our hands on a rare Xen crystal, and will be doing experiments on it shortly. Normally we would have someone else participate in this experiment, but our lead scientist isn't here today."

"Are you feeling up to it?" Dr. Aretino asked.

"Um, well…" confused, Lexine searched for a response.

"I'm sorry," Dr. Meijer said. "We're just so exited. All you have to do is go into the chamber, and push the crystal into a beam."

"You said chamber three," she said. "I was told it was C three-three-A."

"The C stands for the sector, the first number for the level, the second for the chamber, and the last letter for the model. Really this is the only chamber on that level, however we count the filter tubes as one, along with the Xen scanning unit," Dr. Thomson answered.

_Aha!_

"So," Dr. Meijer explained, "in Einstein's theory, it says that in order to go from one point in the universe to another instantly, we would need a wormhole, which would require us to bend space and time."

_Back to kindergarten_, she thought.

Dr. Aretino saw her expression, and made a circular motion with his hands to Dr. Meijer.

"Ahem, as I was saying, this Xen crystal is our best bet at that. In just about a half hour or so, we will see just how good this sample is. Dr. Fredrick isn't here today, so you'll be the lucky one!"

"Sure… By the way, I noticed that the flag picture at the front desk had only forty nine stars on it."

Dr. Meijer stopped, and then clapped lightly. He pulled out a metal rectangle, the same size as Lexine's nametag, and put it on her chest. It instantly snapped onto the bottom of her tag, reading 'Observant Employee'. "Congratulations!" He said. "Hey, that's a nice necklace; where'd you get it?"

"Um, eh, it's been passed down in my family for awhile." She replied, fingering it.

"Now," Dr. Thomson stepped in, "chamber three won't be a walk in the park. You'll need some serious protection. Thankfully, thanks to my team and me at Sector P12, we have an alternative to a lead box."

"Meet the H.E.V.!" He proudly stated, pulling away a sheet of cloth from the suit. Lexine was expecting something more, but was shocked at the ugly orange suit. "The Hazardous Environment Suit Mark Four," he said, "will be your best friend throughout the test."

Dr. Meijer lifted it off the stand, setting it on the ground. He grunted as he moved it, showing how heavy it is. "Don't worry; it has hydraulics and motors to counter the weight."

Dr. Lynn walked up to it, and inspected the logo on the front. "We'll be waiting for you, in the test chamber," Dr. Meijer said from behind, leaving the room. "Hope you like it!" Dr. Thomson said, patting her on the back.

After they had left the room, Lexine turned over to Dr. Aretino. "Just twist at the joints; it'll come apart into much more manageable sections for you to put on." She smiled and Dr. Aretino went to leave the room. However, before he left, he tapped the bottom right red button on the door, locking it. It slid shut, and played a small beep, confirming the tight seal.

Dr. Stapleton turned the suit around, grimacing what she would look like. Then, she noticed a small note, posted to the side. It was on white paper, with a much too familiar logo in grey. It read;

_Thank you for using the H.E.V. suit! We would like to compliment you, that not everyone gets the luxury of wearing it. Please twist at the elbows, knees, pelvis, sides of the chest, and shoulders to get it apart. Also, make sure you are not wearing a lab coat or any other clothing at the time. Signed, Dr. Thomson._

She looked around for any cameras, and then took off her outer coat, throwing it on a bench. Then came her pants and shirt, leaving her only wearing underwear.

_Hope this is far enough._

Then, she walked over to the suit, and vigorously twisted around the right elbow joint in a circular fashion. The lower arm section immediately snapped off, nearly falling to the ground. Lexine then slipped it onto her arm, working her fingers into the black gloves. She flexed them, trying to get used to the feel.

Then, she did the same for the other arm, noticing the accumulating weight. She held the structure up, and gently laid it on the ground, trying not to break it. Then, she twisted both of the knees, disjointing the lower legs. One foot at a time, she cautiously slid her bare legs into the orange suit. Next came the thighs. She twisted at the pelvis, as instructed, and they broke off from the main body, and spit down the sides into two parts. She lifted them, and snapped them onto her legs.

It was then Lexine noticed how little movement she had, as she stumbled, coming crashing down to the floor. Struggling with her arm pieces she had on, she crawled over to the rest of the suit. She twisted at each shoulder joint, and the upper arms came apart the same way the legs did. She connected them to her arms as well.

Finally, she had to face the main body, still lying on the floor. She rubbed her hands up and down the sides, until they hissed, and split apart. She heaved the front piece onto the floor, outside down, and looked at the inside. It was well padded, however she noticed multiple very small holes with bumps under them. Moving the thought aside, she moved over, and flopped down into the suit. Dr. Lynn, trying not to hurt her back, pulled the back piece onto her body, finishing the monstrosity. It snapped and clicked into place.

Then, a computerized female voice started talking in her ear.

-User detected-

The suit beeped, and released all the joints, allowing free movement. Lexine took the opportunity to crawl into a chair.

-Fitting sequence underway-

The suit then adjusted to Dr. Stapleton's body, moving parts closer and further away to fit her perfectly. Her gloves shrank down to fit her hands perfectly, not too tight however. Then, a few parts in the chest area shifted, startling her. Then, she realized how comfortable and soft it was, and sank down into the chair, letting the suit do the work.

-Sequence complete; saving data-

_I can get used to this._

-Exoskeleton armor online-

_Yeah_

-Hydraulics online-

Lexine tried standing up, and noticed it was much easier than it had ever been, with the help of the suit. She felt as though she was on a cloud.

-Life support online-

_I am never leaving this suit!_

-Internal support device activation underway-

Then, she noticed little pricks on her skin, on various places all over her body. She giggled at the tickling sensation, then stopped as the prongs and needles dug deeper.

"Hey, stop! Hey! AH!"

All over her arms and legs, various needles and probes punctured her skin. She screamed in pain, falling to the floor, clawing at the suit, franticly trying to get it off. A few of them even got as deep as the bone, before they stopped moving inward. Then, one entered her spine, narrowly missing vital nerves but slicing right through the bone. She nearly fainted as the crunching sound.

-Morphine administered-

Panting and sweating, the pain started fading away, until she couldn't feel it at all.

"What the DEVIL WAS THAT!?" She yelled at her suit.

Not expecting a response, it replied, -My apologies, Lexine. They are for internal monitoring and control, in case you get hurt. They are also used for administering medicine and/or chemicals-

She waited for a moment, scared to move, and then shakily lifted her arm. She climbed onto the chair, and then stood, calming down slightly.

_I will never put this suit on again…_

-Defensive weapon selection, online-

She looked around for her clothes, and picked them up. To her surprise, she could feel the fabric through her gloves, though after a careful examination, there were no holed or worn spots in them.

She walked over to the door, remembering that is was locked, and tapped the same button Dr. Aretino had pressed, unlocking it. She then pressed the yellow one, and it slid open. It was then that she looked down, to see what she looked like.

_Not bad, but not good either._

Then, she exited the conference room, wondering if it was appropriate she got into her suit in there, and mechanically walked down the hall. Suddenly she stopped, remembering her necklace. To her relief, it was in the folds of her lab coat. She carefully maneuvered it around her neck, and tucked it into her suit. Dr. Lynn, now in an H.E.V. suit, continued down the hallway.

As she got to the corner, she stumbled, and tried to turn. Her stubborn suit resisted for a moment, knocking her off her feet. At the last moment, she reached out an arm to catch herself on the wall. Looking up through her brown hair, falling over her face, she saw Roger, still cleaning the floor, laughing at her. She moaned, and bent down to pick up her clothes.

"Are you comfortable in there?" He sarcastically asked.

"At first," She replied in the same manner.

"Don't worry," He said, helping her up. "Soon, it'll fit you like skin."

She brushed her hair away from her eyes, and nodded a 'thank you'. Then, he went back to cleaning the floor, and she back to her room. When she got there, she reached out a hand to press the yellow button, but the tip of the glove part on her index finger flashed yellow, and the door opened without her even touching it.

_Just gets better and better._

As she entered, she saw another woman, about the same age, stare at her suit.

"Lucky!" She exclaimed. Lexine walked over to her locker, and as she expected, it opened without her making contact with it. She put her lab coat, undershirt, and pants on a rack, then closed the door by backing away from it. "I've never been in an H.E.V.! What's it like?" She asked.

She chuckled, and replied, "It's like a porcupine. Once you get past all the needles, it's really soft!"

The other woman thought about Dr. Stapleton's response as she left the room. Then, after exiting the room, she turned and saw Dr. Aretino, coming out of the men's hallway. On seeing her, he jogged over, examining the suit.

"Nice! Sorry I didn't tell you about, well, you know. I didn't want to scare you."

"Sure, I'm fine," she replied. "I'm sure this suit is just full of surprises."

"Yeah, once some guy's suit kind of, well, broke. It went insane, and started crushing him! We managed to save three of his limbs…"

Lexine then turned pale as a ghost, her heart skipping a beat. Dr. Aretino read her emotions like a book. "That was the last version. This one won't do that."

_It'll probably do something worse_, she thought.

"Well," he said, "let's get to the test chamber."

"Okay," she said, beginning to walk. She tried staying next to him, however her suit urged her on. It tempted her to push it to its limits; to see how fast it can go, how much it can carry, how much radiation it can take. She resisted, and the suit somehow understood.

"One guy actually broke one, awhile ago," Dr. Aretino remarked.

"Another suit?"

"Oh, yes indeed! He was lifting a barrel of hazardous waste, and although he could lift it, he couldn't keep upright, and he fell onto his back. He wasn't wearing his helmet at the time, and, well, you can guess what happened. By the time it had finished his head, it soaked into the inside of his suit, eating away at it."

"Do I have a helmet?" She asked.

"Oh, please," he laughed. "These new models have automatic helmets! As soon as it detects danger, there'll be a dome over your head faster that you can say anti-mass spectrometry!"

Then, they turned right, then left, and continued down the twisting corridors.

"You ever heard of Xen?" the young scientist asked.

"Yeah, a couple times, I think, but don't be surprised. The most advanced scientist here doesn't know an eighth of the stuff that goes on down here; another reason it's underground," he replied.

The two turned right again, passing by the main desk. The security guard there, still searching Black Mesa's massive data base for his files, looked up, amazed at the H.E.V. "Whoa—"

Dr. Stapleton strolled right past him, liking her suit more and more.

"I'm surprised you found that flag thing. I didn't even notice that!"

She took his compliment with a nod of her head, and turned right to follow the band labeled 'Test Labs'. Again, she noticed the wire mesh floor, with wires running beneath. Dr. Aretino walked right on top of it, being used to the small change. The hallway curved left slightly, leading to a double security door. A guard stood in front of it, but quickly moved aside, and walked over to the retinal scanners. He took his eyes off Lexine's suit just for a moment to activate them, but quickly turned his attention back to the awing H.E.V.

The first door opened, allowing the two scientists to enter. Once they did, it closed behind them, and another in front of them opened. Lexine wondered how they managed to do anything, as they were made of a metal frame, with glass in the openings.

One entering the next room, she noticed the hallway went right, but curved left. She followed it, taking note of the tubes running across the wall, saying 'Caution: Laser'.

Dr. Lynn finally got around, reaching the elevator. Upon reaching out her glove, the doors opened. The two stepped inside the large elevator. Dr. Aretino then tapped the 'Level Three' button, making the doors hiss shut. As the elevator began its decent, he asked, "Are you nervous?"

"Am I claustrophobic; yes, nervous; no."

"I see. Just don't let all the suit's drugs go to your head. It does whatever you tell it to. You put acid in the oxygen tank; it'll spray it in your face all the same."

Lexine took the advice, wondering how such a strict facility such as Black Mesa, would design such a flexible suit. The elevator came to an abrupt halt, shaking Dr. Aretino slightly, however Lexine barely felt it, being in the suit. With a soft beep, the elevator doors slid open, allowing them to view another hallway, leading two different directions. She noticed two bands, the Turquoise one leading left, saying 'Maintenance', the brown one leading right saying 'Control Room/Test Chamber'.

The two scientists went right, Lexine being so anxious about the experiment, that she started sweating inside the suit. The H.E.V. recognized it as stress, as opposed to overheating, and instantly dried her skin. As they reached the door to the control room, Dr. Meijer looked up from the control panel, and walked over to the retinal scanner. The metal frame door with glass slid open in response.

"You made it!" He said, turning to Lexine. "Are you comfortable in there?"

She nodded, not really paying attention, as she mindlessly walked past the controls and monitors to a small slit in the wall. Peering through it, she saw a large test chamber, tinted orange. To the right she recognized a blast door, the heaviest type she had ever seen, having multiple crossing bars of some sort of metal. Past everything, she saw a ladder leading up to a control platform. In the center, she was awed by the large machine hanging from the ceiling. It looked like a cylinder, narrowing to a blunt cone at one end, with three attachments, hovering around it. Below, she noticed three claw like structures around a pit, connected to a grove in the floor leading right.

"Dr. Stapleton?"

Jerked out of her state, she turned around to find the two scientists impatiently looking at her. "Sorry, did you say something?"

Dr. Meijer replied, "Yes, I did. Do you know what you are going to be doing?"

"Um, eh, no I don't."

Dr. Aretino coughed, and said, "Okay, you are going into that room. Once there, you will climb up to that catwalk and activate the main rotors. Then, a holding device will arrive, holding the Xen crystal. You will push it into the beam, and back away."

The other scientist explained further, "This machine of ours is a prototype. We have no idea how long it will be able to hold up. Just do what you need to do and get out of there."

"Won't my H.E.V. protect me?" Lexine worriedly asked, beginning to doubt her suit.

"Dr. Stapleton," her friend advised, "nothing is one hundred percent radiation proof, let alone protecting against Xen energy. The less time you are in there, the better."

"I agree, Dr. Aretino. We have never had a crystal this pure. Xen crystal is actually just tiny particles in Xen material, and the twenty pound sample has an estimated three hundred fifty particles! May not seem like much, but boy oh boy, it doesn't take much."

Anxious to do the test, Lexine shifted and squirmed inside her suit as the two scientists kept talking.

"The probability of a resonance cascade is extremely unlikely," Dr. Aretino continued, "and the administrator, although not in this room, will be watching very closely, along with the guy who brought in the crystal."

"Uh, yes, about that. What would happen in the worst case scenario?" Lexine asked.

"If the test went horribly wrong, it would most certainly kill us three instantly, so no worries." Dr. Meijer answered.

"Well," Dr. Aretino said, glancing up at the digital clock, "the specimen should be up in about ten minutes. We should get started."

Dr. Stapleton nodded her head, speechlessly excited about starting the test. "Just go through that door," Dr. Meijer pointed to the door opposite to the one she had entered by, "and follow the corridors until you get to an elevator. Then the test chamber will be right ahead."

Following his instructions, she jogged over to the door, having Dr. Meijer open it via the scanner. It slid open, and she walked out, turning right. Against the wall she noticed three glass cylinders, with pulsing energy beams inside.

"That's a filter system," a nearby scientist said. "If anything comes through, it'll go right there."

She slowed down slightly, examining the containers. The glowing spheres of energy inside were shades of a very light green and orange. Then, after reaching the elevator, opened the doors and stepped inside. She pressed the only button she saw, with a red arrow pointing down. It flashed green, and the elevator descended. It also turned left, as it had a corkscrew system, like that of the tram. Upon reaching the bottom, the doors in front of Lexine opened, allowing her access to a metal corridor.

Stepping out of the elevator shaft, she noted how the hallway curved left around the test chamber, wasting no space. Upon reaching the end, a metal door slid to the right, revealing a room of blackness. She cautiously walked in, and the door closed behind her. Already, her suit's Geiger counter started clicking, and a robotic voice bleeped in her ear about the hazard.

"Alright Dr. Stapleton, we are going to open the main doors," a voice over the intercom said. "If at any time you see something out of the ordinary, or at least not ordinary for being Xen energy, please tell us."

The lights in the metal room went out, and the heavy door opened into test chamber C-33/a. She noticed her rapid breathing and heart rate, and tried to calm her excitement. Slowly, she stepped into the large test chamber, her suit's clicking getting more rapid. She felt tiny pricks on her fingers, reminding her how much radiation this chamber was bathed in, and how many kinds of radiation at that.

_This is what my training all comes down to!_

"Now, Dr. Stapleton, we advise you once again to work quickly."

The blast door behind her closed, sealing off the chamber besides for the small observation slit way above. "We are already seeing minor fluctuations in the mass spectrometry as the crystal is coming up! Oh boy, this is going to be _big_."

She brought a hand up to fiddle with her necklace, only to find it tucked inside her suit. Instead of digging for it, she cracked her knuckles. Dr. Stapleton found herself staring at the control room, reminding herself that there is nothing down here to fear.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Tapping a pen on her desk, Dr. Sarris impatiently waited for her patient. Glancing up at the clock, she realized it was only eight forty five in the morning, on a Saturday at that, so it would be difficult to wake the youngster up. She put down her pen, and stood up from her chair, adjusting her pediatrician outfit she wore. She took the opportunity of her patient being late to smooth back her short red hair, and to wash her hands.

After drying them, she pushed her chair under her medical desk and stretched her aching legs. A small clicking from the door made her turn around to greet her half hour late patient. A mom followed the young girl in, shutting the door behind them.

"Hi!" Dr. Sarris greeted the two. "What's your name?" She bent down to the child.

"I'm Rachel," She shyly replied.

"I'm Dr. Sarris. Just hop up on that table and I'll get ready," she replied, helping the eight year old up. Rachel, nervous, fiddled with her fingers, looking around the room. Her mom sat in a chair beside her, watching it all. Dr. Sarris pulled out a paper from a folder mounted to the wall, and handed it to Rachel's mom to fill out. Turning to the girl, she asked, "You've been to the doctor before, right?"

She nodded her head, not wanting to speak.

"Well then you know what I want you to do. Pant like a doggie!"

The girl did so, and Dr. Sarris quickly used a wooden tongue depressor and another specialized tool to look inside her throat. "It's red and irritated, and I can see dripping," she said. Bringing her tools down, she looked her in the eye. "Just a cold, honey!"

The relieved mother said, "Oh, good; I thought it was strep."

Walking back over to her desk, and throwing away the depressor, she advised, "Have her drink plenty of fluids and get lots of rest. She should be able to show up for school Monday.

"Thanks Dr. Sarris, however, there's nothing you can prescribe?"

"Nope, it's viral. As you know, they're not really alive, so your body is one of the only things that can 'kill' it." Then she turned over to Rachel, helping her off the table. "I know it's no fun to be sick on a weekend."

The girl went back to her mother's side. "Thanks again," the mother said as the two of them left. Dr. Sarris pulled her chair back out, and sat down, finishing the report. Although she hated charging them seventy five dollars for that, she had to, even though she already had plenty.

"Dr. Sarris, please come to the front desk," she heard over the intercom. Filing away the document she had just filled out, she walked out of her room, flipping the lights off. Thankfully, she didn't work on the upper floors, as she would then have to take the stairs, unless it was an emergency. She turned right down a well-lit tile hallway, and walked a few short meters to the front desk.

"Yes?"

"Oh, yes." The receptionist acknowledged Dr. Sarris' arrival. "We have a report on a Wilbert Gathers, age thirty four, that was part of a test of some sort. Can you have a look at him? He seems to have lost his memory."

"I would," Dr. Sarris replied, "but I'm a pediatrician, not a neuroscientist."

Chuckling, she said, "It says here that a Dr. Sarris should be the one to look at him, 'nobody else' underlined!"

Thinking for a moment, Dr. Sarris said, "Well, I don't have anyone else for a couple hours. Where is he?"

"Right there in the waiting room," she said, pointing across the lobby, and handing her the papers.

"Okay, I'll have a look at him." Then, she turned around, slightly confused, and headed towards the waiting room. It didn't take long for her to find him, as he was at a vending machine, pressing a button, trying to get it to work.

"Need any help with that?" She asked from behind.

Shocked, he turned around to face her. "What? Oh, hi. Gosh, I feel like I haven't eaten in days! Can you help me with this vending machine? I pressed the correct button but nothing happened."

Puzzled, she walked over to the machine, but quickly realized the problem. "You didn't put in any money."

He looked at her, raising one eyebrow, and then it struck him. "Oh, right, I forgot to put in money!" He then fumbled around in his pocket, and stopped, slowly pulling out a wad of bills. They were all one hundred dollar bills. "Oh my..."

He took a step back, falling into a chair. After putting the money back, he shakily said, "I'm not hungry anymore."

"So," Dr. Sarris said, taking a seat, "I hear you lost your memory. I have these papers." She handed them to Wilbert.

He closely examined them, looking at the picture of himself. He felt his own face, making sure they were the same. Then he read his name, printed in bold at the top; 'Wilbert Gathers'. "Hmmm, give me a moment to look at this."

He read over all the information carefully, surprised at how fast he could read. Then, he gave the packet back to the doctor. She replied, "So, do you remember any of this?"

"No, I remember nothing. Only Wilbert, not even Gathers. Are you sure this is accurate?"

She motioned to a digitized signature at the bottom, confirming his question. "Okay, I took a class on memory at a medical university a few years ago. I want you to tell me what happen just before you got here."

"I was brought in by these two nice fellows; Josh and, um, Kurtiss, I think. They found me sitting at their table in a coffee shop, saying I was brought in by two men in a black van."

"Do you remember anything before that?"

He closed his eyes, struggling to think backwards. "I remember saying 'No, I didn't' as soon as I woke up, but that's it."

She thought about it, and then replied, "Try harder. Don't respond until you think of something." He nodded, and then leaned his head back.

_I hope she knows what she's doing_, he thought. Next, he strained his mind to remember what had happened before what had seemed like his birth. All he could uncover was blackness, and more blackness. After trying this for a few minutes, he switched to mentally searching for sounds, instead of vision. He remembered the sounds of voices, lots of voices, and of the car and the male intercom voice, but then he stopped. "That was a girl at the desk, right?"

Dr. Sarris nodded, not sure where he was going.

"I remember a male voice," he whispered.

"Maybe that was the voice at the hospital where you had the test."

He thought about it, and then went back to trying to remember. He struggled, rewinding time from the point where he had been sitting in the chair at the café. Wilbert was in the chair, and then he was unconscious, then before that he was sitting in a chair, and before that he was unconscious. Opening his eyes, he finally gave up, reporting his findings. "Before I fell asleep I was in a chair, and before that I was asleep again."

"Strange; your brain only recognizes what it remembers, and repeats it as the past."

She pulled a pad of paper and a pencil out of her shirt pocket, and recorded the notes. Next she flipped to another page, and drew a two people, one with a skirt and long hair, the other a normal stick figure. "Who are these people?"

"We tried this at the café, but I guess I'll try again," he said in dismay. He studied the people, trying not to have his brain identify them as Josh, Kurtiss, the lady at the café, or Dr. Sarris. His view then shifted to the pencil in Dr. Sarris' hand; it was another 'Meijer' pencil. However, he quickly abandoned the thought, and tried to surface any names he could think of.

"Um, in the car, Kurtiss gave me a math problem which I solved in a second! Maybe that has something to do with my past."

"Maybe," she replied, "but first I want you to tell me who these people are."

Staring at the paper, he tried to think about 'before'. He could remember a lot of people, but he couldn't remember their faces, or their names. Squeezing his eyes shut, he commanded his brain to remember the past. It responded in a few seconds with a headache. "Sorry, I can't," he said, bringing a hand up to massage his scalp. "Can we move on?"

She nodded, giving him her next idea. "Look around this room and see if anything sparks your memory."

He did so, looking about. He looked back at Dr. Sarris, seeing her outfit. "Hey, I think I remember people in hospital uniforms or something."

"Good, keep thinking," she responded. He nodded, and looked at the tile floor. Then he glanced up at the ceiling. Unsuccessful, he searched around for something else. He couldn't recognize any of the faces in the room. "Are you sure the operation I had was some sort of Lobotomy?"

Dr. Sarris chuckled, shaking her head. "It was an experimental brain enhancement test, which obviously didn't work. Well, let's try something new."

"Good idea," he agreed. "How about if you shout out names, and I'll tell you if anything sticks out."

"Okay, um, Joe, Bob, Carl—"

"I mean different names, not Bill and Sue."

She nodded, and continued. "Fred, wait no, um, Alberto?"

"Maybe; keep going."

She went on, "Howard, Thomson, Jason?"

He sadly shook his head, not remembering any of them. "I don't even know if they are familiar at all! They could be the name of my siblings and I would recognize them, but couldn't point them out."

She agreed, wondering what she would do with him. "Well, what about the money you found in your pocket?"

"Oh," he said, pulling it out. Just by examining the thickness of the wad, he determined its cash value. "I have two thousand dollars. Funny; I don't remember being rich. Then again, I don't remember anything."

Reaching out an arm, Dr. Sarris took the bills examining them. "These are real. It says here," she said, flipping through the stapled pack of information on Wilbert, "that it was a fraction of money from your life. The rest is in a bank somewhere in this city."

Wilbert took the packet away from her, checking the facts. "No, that can't be right. I don't remember anything, but New York seems too far away from where I live. Where that is, I have no clue."

She sighed, knowing it would be hard to get anywhere, her being the least capable neuroscientist in the building.

_Why me?_ She wondered.

"Well, maybe I should just go back to my place, where ever that is. Can you drive me? I don't have a car, and this money might be stolen or something. The packet says you should 'take care of me'."

She thought about anyone who had scheduled, realizing she a few hours open. "I guess I can; the packet says you live in an apartment block not far from here."

Exhaling with relief, he replied, "Thanks. Funny, though, how I live in an apartment though I have thousands of dollars."

Dr. Sarris got up, and turned to walk out of the waiting room, Mr. Gathers following closely behind. They exited through the double doors of the hospital shortly after.

*****

After getting into Dr. Sarris' small car, Wilbert was the first to start a discussion. "So, you're a pediatrician?"

"Yup," she said, starting the car. "I also deal with many other medicines, but they needed a doctor for kids, so here I am."

She pulled the car out of the parking garage, and merged with the street. "Of course, now that we are driving away, we could scan DNA or fingerprints."

"No," he replied. "I want to figure this out by myself. I seem to like solving problems."

"But the packet strongly recommends it," she argued.

"Eh, if I give up I will, but I'm not going to give up." He held on to the seat as she turned a hard corner. "I don't think I've been in a car in awhile." She then continued down the road.

"Mr. Gathers, I think it would be wise to at least turn this money into the police; all of it. If this is some twisted criminal scheme, I don't want you to fall into it, or have me be sucked in. I've seen plenty of movies where that has happened."

"Doctor, I doubt this is an evil plot. Besides; what would be the point of giving _me _thousands? I thought that was their goal," he replied. Dr. Sarris turned her small Toyota around an intersection, and past a few stores and an alley, and then stopped her car. Checking the address, she said, "I think this is it."

"Well, thanks a lot," he said, getting out of the car and closing the door. He waved as Dr. Sarris drove off, accounting all the people who had set him on a straight path on the only day he could remember in his life. _I'm going to need three fancy 'Thank You' cards for that…_

He jogged up to the large apartment, entering through its pretty doors. Following the instructions on the packet he had, he took the staircase to the second floor, where he went to the fourth door on the left. Once he got to it, he fumbled around in his pocket, looking for another clue. Instead, he found the key.

Wilbert inserted it into the door, pushing it open. It was stiff, as if nobody had used it in months. Exhaling, he examined the inside of his home. _Quite musty_, he thought.

He glanced down at the table, and noticed something, besides a cell phone. Running his finger across it, he found it had a rather thick layer of dust. _Room service hasn't been keeping up._

He picked up the phone, noticing that there was also dust underneath it, but not on it. _Strange._

He walked over to the refrigerator, and opened it. It was empty, and not even plugged in. Opening the pantry, he was relieved to find a box of crackers, although that was it. He opened the lid, and pulled out a plastic wrapper, filled with Ritz. He opened it, grabbing a few in his hand. Wilbert ate one, noticing that it tasted somewhat stale, but he didn't mind.

Mr. Gathers then strode over to the separate bedroom, and looked in all the drawers. He found multiple pairs of clothes, all his size, neatly folded. Deciding to keep his own clothes on, he continued looking around. On the bed stand, he was surprised to find a picture of him, holding a beautiful girl by his side, with a young smiling freckled boy beneath. _I had a family?_

He looked down at his ring finger, finding it ring less, but noticed a glint in the slightly open drawer. He opened it, finding _two_ rings and a note. Opening it, it read;

_Dear Wilbert,_

_I know that we were struggling a little bit as a family, and all families do, but this is too much. First you neglect Robby, and then you just leave! Next you deny you're cheating on me, and I find proof. Wilbert, I just don't know if us being together is best. I am leaving, with Robby, and will never come back. I'm sorry, but I left you the ring. Go ahead and sell it._

_Rosa_

Confused and angry, he searched the letter for a phone number. Finding none, he ran over to the cell phone he noticed on the table on the way in. Wilbert flipped it open, and searched the memory bank for any numbers. He only found one; Gathers, Rosa.

Knowing it was right, he made it automatically dial it, trying to connect with his past wife. He didn't care how far she was away; besides, he had plenty of money. "Hello?" She said on the other line.

"Hello, is this Rosa?" He asked.

"Wilbert, how did you get this number? I hope you got my note," she angrily replied.

"Listen, Rosa, I don't remember anything! I don't think I would ever do those things!"

"But you did! How could you?" She said, sounding tearful.

"Listen to me," he replied. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't, it doesn't matter! I'm a new man, please forgive me! You're the only thing I have!"

"Whatever happened to Martha?"

"What?" He asked, now very confused.

"Don't play dumb with me," she replied. "I know why you came home late all those nights. She even admitted it."

"Rosa, I can't remember anything! Please just take pity on me and help me find my life again. If this was your idea of punishment, it certainly worked," he shouted, angry with both his ex wife and himself.

"We're through," she said.

"Can I at least talk to my son? I can't remember even seeing him," he asked. The other line went silent for a few seconds, then dead. He snapped the phone shut, and gently replaced it on the table, wondering if he had ever wished for a fresh start before.

_Now I got it_, he thought. He now realized he had the letter in his other hand, and had been crushing it during the phone call. He opened it, and carefully examined the fine print.

Then, he held it up to the light, showing a faint message below. "You…deserved…this," he read. He put it on the table, his head swelling with questions. Then he got an idea. He picked up the phone, and closed his eyes. Then, he started typing in a random number. After opening them, he looked at it, with its crazy area code. He noticed the phone had a record feature, so he turned that on as well.

Wilbert pressed the green phone button, and listened for the annoying beeping. Amazingly, it began to ring. Hopeful, he listened to the rings, counting them. _One, two, three, four, five—_

Then, someone answered. "Who is this? How did you get this number?" Were the words he first heard.

"Wilbert Gathers and I seem to remember this number; it's one of the few things I do since my surgery. Can you help at all?"

Listening closely, he heard whispers on the other end. He turned up the volume to the maximum. "Wilbert; I thought we got rid of him! We did, and he didn't come back yet. Let me do the talking." He quickly turned the volume down again, so it wouldn't blast in his ear. "Mr. Gathers, this is a private number, but rest assured, we have nothing to do with you. Please call a hospital for help."

"I did," he quickly said. "Dr. Sarris didn't help much, although." Once again, there was silence on the other end, followed by it hanging up. Smiling, knowing it was recorded, he replayed it. Once it got to silence, he turned the volume way up again. "It's Wilbert; he remembers a little bit. Wilbert; I thought we got rid of him! We did, and he didn't come back yet. Let me do the talking."

He then turned the volume down, listening to the rest. After he said 'although', he turned the sound up again. "We'll proceed with 'N' four seven. Hang up already!" He set the phone down, thinking about what he just heard, hoping it would spark a memory. He looked at his information packet, looking for the phone number. He didn't find it, but he found another number with a similar area code. He dialed that, turning on the record feature, and listened.

"Hello, Wilbert," said a slightly familiar voice. "This is an automated message, so don't try and respond. If you haven't figured this out already, I am you, before the surgery. If you are listening to this, then the procedure went wrong, and you can't remember a thing. Just trust the information in the packet; I wrote it, I swear. I'm sorry, but I cannot answer any of your questions."

There was a pause, and then it continued.

"All the answers are in this pa…packet. Goodbye, friend."

As soon as the line went dead, Wilbert rewound the recording listening to the silence. He heard a slight rustling, like the sound of paper. He also recognized 'himself' tripping up saying 'packet', doubting that he had a speech disability. He took all this into account, remembering every detail in his seemingly empty mind.

*****

Letting out an audible moan, Sanchali flopped out of her twin bed. Only half awakened from the fall, she slowly stood to her full height of nearly seven feet, only to fall back into bed. Her cuckoo clock had struck eight o' clock about a half hour ago, urging her to get up. She yawned, and climbed out of her bed, stretching her long muscular legs. Looking down, she realized she was still wearing her basketball uniform from last night's game. Her team had obviously won. As she walked out of her bedroom, she picked up a basketball from a stand with her left hand, and began to bounce it in the ground.

_Good thing I don't live above anyone._

With her strong hand, she continued dribbling the ball, and with her right she opened her refrigerator, and removed a gallon of milk. Without a glass, she drank directly out of it. Clearing her throat, she put it back into the fridge and closed the door, still bouncing the ball. The tall basket ball player then looked down at her cat's food bowl, only to find it full.

She learned that her cat, Snowflake, like to eat breakfast around six in the morning. Instead of him waking her up every morning, she set a bowl of food out, after it was asleep, every night to satisfy it at six. After she was up, the cat would be quiet, and the dish would be empty.

However, this time it was full.

"That's strange. Snowflake?"

She stopped dribbling, the ball bouncing away. Sanchali, now worried, looked around for her cat.

"Snowflake?"

Ducking down, she looked under her small table, her sofa, and her bed.

_Where is that cat?_

Snowflake was afraid of stairs, (part of the reason she chose to live on the first floor of her apartment,) so she knew he couldn't have gotten far. She picked up her food dish, rattling it. "Breakfast is ready, and you're two hours late!"

After a moment of silence, she put down her food bowl, and nervously walked over to the door. Opening it, she looked around for her cat. Hesitant to walk out of the house, she stepped back in, and yelled, "Snowflake, if you're hiding from me, speak up now or I'm leaving!"

Again, she heard nothing. She closed and locked the door. Then, the nervous cat owner looked around the lobby for Snowflake, but saw nothing. Then she jogged out of the apartment into New York. Cars went flying by on the street, as she looked around for something white. She looked right at an alley, and ran over to it, still looking for her cat. Normally, she would stay far away from anything that could damage or dirty her uniform, however the search for her cat made her forget her worries.

She walked over to a dumpster, and looked behind it. "Snowflake, where are you?"

Now sweating nervously, something she only did during the climax of a game. She walked across the alley and moved aside some black trash bags, looking for Snowflake. She glanced back down the alley, and saw a Lamborghini drive by, slowing down to nearly a halt. The two men inside looked over at her in confusion.

"Hey, HEY!" She yelled, waving her arms. The two in the car then looked back ahead, and drove away. Wishing she had a basketball to take her anger out on, she picked up a bag and hurtled it down towards the ground.

_I will make them regret that, someday…_

Bottling her anger to save it for an upcoming game, she left the alley, and turned right onto a sidewalk, pacing towards the jewelry store nearby. She pushed the door open, ringing a bell. An Asian man looked up from the desk, and smiled. "Welcome to Oriental Jewels. Can I help you?"

"Have you seen a cat anywhere?"

"Cat? No cat meat; only Jewelry."

"NO! My cat ran away. Have you seen him anywhere?" She asked, annoyed.

After thinking for a moment, he replied, "No, but I believe your cat run away. Many animals run away from owner today I notice. Creatures have ability to sense danger, maybe cat got scared."

"Psh! What could happen; hurricane, earthquake, tornado? What would spook every animal in the city?"

He shrugged his shoulders, not being able to give an answer. Sanchali walked out of the store, disappointed. She turned left, and ran past her apartment to the next nearest store, panting with sweat.

Upon arrival, she threw the door open, and bent over, trying to catch her breath. "Can I help you?" An aged woman asked, sweeping the floor to the furniture store.

"I'm looking for my cat," Sanchali said.

"Who are you exactly?"

"My name is Sanchali Palkia, I play professional basketball! Don't you watch sports?"

Slightly angered by the youngster, she replied, "No and no; I don't watch TV and I haven't seen your cat. Did you leave the door open?"

"No," she said, "I live in an apartment. The guy at the jewelry store says animals can sense danger. What do you think about that?"

After thinking for a moment, the older woman replied, "As far as I'm concerned, the only danger for your cat would be getting hit by a car, which wouldn't happen unless it ran away. It would only happen, if it happens, you know; circular logic. Now please leave, as you smell terrible."

Now angry, she burst out of the story, and looked both ways down the street. Thankful not to have found any white, she continued her search, this time going across the street. She waited for the signal, and then sprinted across the intersection. After reaching the sidewalk again, her eyes darted around, looking for her cat. She saw a man with a suit go by, looking very important. "Excuse me; have you seen a white cat?"

He shook his head, not even taking the time to respond. She looked around for anyone else helpful, and then realized a terrible truth; if the cat had been scared and somehow escaped, it would be far out of the city by now. Sanchali quickly forced herself to forget, and continued with her search.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Okay, there's no use waiting! Let's begin," Dr. Meijer said over the intercom. Lexine could barely control her excitement, let alone her heart rate and respiration.

"Hold on a second, I prepared a speech," Dr. Aretino said, pulling a piece of paper out of his lab coat. Dr. Stapleton, slightly angered by another setback, listened to what he had to say.

"Here in test chamber C three-three-A, we will create a milestone for humanity. Whatever happens in the next five minutes will be remembered for centuries to come, as the point where we, a humble species of humans, examine and unlock faster-than-light travel. I, Uberto Aretino, along with the test's lead, Dr. Meijer, and our new scientist Dr. Stapleton, will be remembered not as scientists, but the ones who unlocked the gateway to the stars above."

Lexine clapped, having it echo throughout the chamber. "Ahem, that was a fine speech Dr. Aretino. Now, let's get this test started! Dr. Stapleton, please climb up to the platform over there, and I will give the word to start the rotors.

Lexine did so, inching around the large chamber. She stayed well away from the center, and she found that just a step closer would make her Geiger counter go crazy. Finally reaching the ladder, she gripped onto it. Her suit helped her climb, rung by rung, upward. About half way there, she stopped, looking down. Nearly losing her grip, she continued, this time keeping her eyes locked on her destination.

When she got there, her suit gave her a little surprise. Using a fraction of its strength, it yanked her upward, sending her above the top of the ladder. When she came down, Lexine was expecting a jarring landing, but the suit made her limbs move in such a way, to make her landing on the platform easier, on all fours.

Dr. Stapleton, now in control of her suit again, got up, awed at how useful the suit could become. She walked across the catwalk to a small terminal. There was a keyboard, another crazy mouse, a screen, and a small red button off to the side, covered with a glass panel.

"Alright, Dr. Stapleton, please go over to the computer and upload the program for the rotors; it's in your suit. We don't upload the program until just before the test, and then delete it right away afterwards."

Wondering how she would do this, she extended a finger out towards a USB data port on the side of the keyboard. The material on the tip of her finger morphed, turning into a USB plug. She stuck it in, hoping the suit would know what to do.

-Uploading data-

Her finger glowed orange for about a minute, then it flashed green, and returned to its normal black state. She took it out, and the glove morphed back to fit her hand.

-Upload complete-

"Very good. Starting primary sequence…now."

Lexine took a step to the side, and back, leaning against the metal wall to examine the gigantic structure in the middle. The three floating objects began rotating around the upper base, humming. An inner cylinder inside the upper base then started turning counter clockwise; the opposite direction.

-Advanced radiation shields online-

They spun faster and faster, worrying Dr. Lynn slightly. "Nothing to worry about," Dr. Meijer comforted. "They're held in place by an insanely strong magnetic field. If there weren't any counter magnets, almost everything in this sector would fry, including us."

This didn't calm her much, but she continued looking at the machine. "Now, Dr. Lynn, if you would be so kind as to start the secondary sequence; just press the red button."

Lexine looked over at the intimidating red button as the glass lifted to expose it. She slowly walked over to it, thinking about Dr. Aretino's speech. _I'm never going to get that out of my head…_

Then, holding her breath and closing her eyes, reached out her left arm to press it. When her hand got within an inch of it, her finger flashed again, along with the button. The glass panel replaced itself, and Lexine let out a lungful of air.

"Secondary sequence underway," the lead scientist said.

Dr. Stapleton looked at the tip of the contraption, hanging from the ceiling of the large chamber. It glowed a yellowish orange, and then formed a pulsing beam between it and the lower base. The pulsing beam got longer, until it was a steady beam. The devices floating around it also turned into lasers, projecting their orange beams to a focal point down below, forming an hourglass shape with a small bottom and a large top.

"You can climb down from the ladder now," Dr. Meijer said.

Lexine didn't want to, fearing the radiation, but she did anyway. As soon as she had begun climbing down, her suit let go, sending her falling to the ground. It would normally be fatal, but the suit pulled off another one of its stunts, landing her safely, like a cat. She got up, shaken.

"Don't do that again, H.E.V," she angrily whispered.

-My apologies, Dr. Stapleton-

The young scientist then looked up at the magnificent device, with a mix of fear and excitement.

"Stage three; commencing."

Then the three claws rose from their base, and all pointed towards the focal point, now very bright with energy. The suit's Geiger counter turned into a steady buzz, making Lexine want to get this over with even more. She heard a hissing, making her heart nearly stop, and glanced over at the specimen delivery elevator, rising with a small carrying cart. She noticed a large yellow crystal, being held by two thin metal tongs; the Xen crystal.

"Hurry up," Dr. Aretino advised. "We don't know how long the system can operate at this level. Push it into the beam!"

She took a deep breath in, and walked over to the cart. She squeezed behind it, and pushed, disconnecting it from its magnetic clamp on the elevator. Lexine pushed it halfway there, when her suit engaged the helmet. Besides its warning, it surprised her to have a glass dome around her head, which instantly came up from around the collar. Green indicators began to appear, representing something similar to a heads up display. There was a large green shape around the Xen crystal, with the appropriate label. She stopped pushing, and looked towards the observation room. Through the metal, she saw the green outlines of the two scientists, along with their names.

Lexine, expecting to see the same on herself, looked down, when a red light appeared. It outlined her necklace, however it was flashing red.

-Unknown entity detected. Scanning-

"Oh, that's my necklace," she said back.

-Scanning aborted-

The red outline turned green, labeled 'Necklace'. Dr. Lynn Stapleton then looked ahead, and continued pushing the cart, holding the strange crystal. A blue marker appeared between the beam and the Xen crystal, with the distance in meters appearing, with two decimal places. Upon reaching one meter, she slowed down, not wanting to mess anything up.

Suddenly, her radiation counter stopped completely, surprising her. Instead, a radiation display appeared on her helmet, stopping her from asking the question. Lexine continued pushing, until the crystal was within a foot of the beam. Small 'tentacles' from the laser were already reaching out towards it, brushing up against the crystal. She stopped, and allowed herself to calm down.

_Take it easy, Lexine. Just push the crystal into the beam. Ready? One, two, three!_

At that, she shoved the cart with the crystal into the beam. For a brief second, she stood right there, her heart beating normally, her breathing normal, everything perfect. It was at that moment everything she knew that was normal shattered apart.

The beams instantly turned green, sending electrical charging sounds throughout the chamber. The claws shook, and reached inwards, attempting to contain the anomaly. "Dr. Stapleton; GET AWAY FROM THE BEAM!"

She didn't need the warning; she had already begun stumbling backwards. A beam of energy shot out of it, blowing a hole in the heavy blast doors which Lexine had entered by. Another beam shot out of it, locking onto her chest. The suit did it's best to absorb the damage, but that was the least of her worries.

The suit couldn't even get out a damage warning before Dr. Lynn was pulled out of Black Mesa, and plunged into darkness. She couldn't see or feel anything, even her own hands, but was well aware of her breathing and heartbeat. Lexine heard the thumps get louder and faster, as she struggled to break free of the black space she was confined in.

Suddenly, something began to happen. She felt feeling return, and could see again. The darkness disappeared, throwing her body onto a rock surface. She coughed up blood in her mouth, not wanting to think of the damage the fall had inflicted on her body. She opened her eyes, and saw the visor begin to light up again.

-System rebooting-

Green text appeared, and the suit went through all its functions. Then, it began to catch up with where Lexine was.

-Heavy electrical damage, detected. No gravity. System shut down. Unknown coordinates-

_Unknown?_

The young scientist, extremely fortunate to be in an H.E.V., got up and looked around. She saw swirls of colored clouds, she assumed to be nebula, around her. Looking down, Lexine found herself standing on a rock, floating in space. Her suit warned her that there was no atmosphere, and she had limited oxygen. As she stood, she felt significantly lighter, having there be next to no gravity.

_Where the heck am I?_

Her suit lit up various outlines around the rocks, identifying them as 'unknown' material. Before the suit could complete its scan, she was pulled back into darkness, and through another portal. Again, all she could sense was her heartbeat and breathing.

When she came out, it was a more graceful landing, into water. At least Dr. Stapleton thought it was water; the suit didn't. She bent down, and cupped some in her hand, then poured it into a compartment by her thigh.

-Foreign liquid scan commencing-

She looked around, to learn she was on another rock, this time holding the liquid. Then, she heard a snarling behind her, wondering how she could with no air. Her suit was analyzing the noises, and playing them in her suit.

Lexine spun around to face the creature, having two legs and a long tail. It reminded her of a bull or maybe a squid like creature. However, it had yellowish skin, and instead of a head, tentacles surrounding a pair of red eyes, and a pair of large 'teeth'. It made a fierce noise, startling her. She slowly backed away.

The creature then charged at her, and Dr. Lynn, not wanting to fight, could only turn and run. However, another dimensional gateway sucked her in, as if she was drawn to them, hurtling her through space and time. This, being the third time, was starting to get less scary for Lexine, allowing her to study the effects.

When she exited, she was thrown into a void of space; no nebula, but lots of stars. For a few moments, she drifted in zero gravity, looking in awe at the stars. She knew, without doubt, she was the first human to see such a view. "Activate video recording."

-Recording online-

She saw a small flashing red circle in the bottom right corner of her helmet, confirming it.

-Thrusters online-

Lexine used them to turn her body around, looking at the stars. Then, a black figure entered her view.

-Video feed interrupted. Recording offline-

She flew closer to the object, examining it. Once she touched it, she realized that it was made of metal. Turning on her lights, she noticed marks of the metal being fused together. Looking around, the stunning conclusion came to her that it was part of a hull.

The large metal sheet turned, and Lexine was forced to back away. She saw a magnificent ship, she assumed to be alien, floating in front of her. It was shaped like nothing she had ever seen, moving gracefully through space. "H.E.V., are you getting this?"

-Sorry, there is an intense blocker, preventing video recording. Taking snapshot-

As soon as the suit got a picture, she was sucked back into another gateway. Waiting for this journey to be over, she tried recalling all she had seen, so she could describe it to everyone back at Black Mesa.

When she was spat back out into test chamber C-33/a, she fell onto the ground, a good deal away from the center. Getting up, she saw that the beams had gone out, the crystal was gone, and the cart had been flung into a wall. Warning lights were flashing, and danger alarms were blaring throughout the sector. Her suit automatically blocked out most of the noises.

-Known coordinates. Liquid sample lost. Scanning aborted. Gravity detected. Thrusters offline. Atmosphere detected. Disengaging helmet-

The glass dome around her head slid back into her suit, splitting into five parts. It was then she reached a hand inside her suit to feel for her necklace. Dr. Stapleton sighed with relief, knowing it was still there, but it was burning hot after having been struck by the bolt of energy.

Lexine looked around, seeing sparking wires hanging from the ceiling. The blast door had been torn apart like tissue paper.

"Dr. Meijer?" She shouted up at the observation room. Hearing nothing only made her worry.

"Dr. Aretino?"

Hearing silence, she ran towards the blast door, terrified. It was not a struggle getting through them; the hole the energy blast had made was sufficient to drive a car through. Lexine climbed over the bent metal, getting into the airlock. Once in the metal room, she walked over to the smaller door, this one still closed. The retinal scanner was ajar on the wall, sparking.

Leaning over to it, she put her eyes up to the scanner, having it flash at her. She prayed it would somehow accept her. "Access denied," said an automated voice, in high pitch. Even so, the door shakily opened, then slammed shut. It opened a little again, but closed once more. Then, it opened a few inches, and stopped.

-I would be happy to assist- said the H.E.V. Lexine, trusting it, placed her hands inside the crack. She grabbed onto the door, and then started pulling it left, with no avail. The suit contributed, activating its powerful capabilities. The door groaned, and then slowly was pushed into the wall. Lexine almost let go, but the suit prevented her from releasing her grip. She slid pass the opening, and into the hallway. Then the heavy metal door slammed shut, nearly taking her fingers off.

"Thanks," she said to her suit.

-You're welcome-

Now focusing on the hallway, she saw spinning red lights, sparking wires, and large cabinets and monitors knocked over. Looking down, Lexine noticed the body of a scientist, his torso caked with blood, spilling onto the floor. Putting a hand to her mouth, she staggered backwards against a wall.

_What have we done? What have we created?_

Feeling queasy, the scientist took her eyes off the body, and looked ahead. Carefully tip toeing around it, she continued onward, wondering what had killed the unfortunate man. Following the hallway to the elevator, she reached her hand out to the button. Her suit sent the signal, but the door did not respond. The whole facility was really experiencing problems.

She saw that a scientist had tried to break through the glass, but had only made it half way through, cutting himself up pretty badly on the way. Nearly throwing up, Dr. Stapleton pulled the body from its place, spilling more blood. She climbed through the opening, and into the elevator chamber. She carefully stepped into it, avoiding the sharp glass. Once she was clear of the glass, she stumbled over to the elevator.

Hoping it would work, she reached out to activate the button. Thankfully for Dr. Stapleton, it worked. The small elevator turned as it ascended upward, a little bit closer to the surface. This made her think if anyone outside of here would notice, or even be affected by what happened. The elevator stopped, but to her dismay, the door ahead was broken; a large metal beam had crushed it, blocking her escape.

"Is this the only way out?"

-Yes, however the debris is light enough to move with my help-

She let the suit do the work, taking control of her body. It made her walk herself over to it, and used its seemingly endless strength to dislodge the beam. She pushed it with her legs out of the path, and let it fall down to the ground. The suit then gave her control of her limbs again.

"What would I do without you, H.E.V.?"

Turning left, she saw that the two filter chambers were sparking, and broken open. A third contained a creature of some sort. Curious, Lexine moved over to it, and observed.

It had four legs, it was about the size of a bowling ball, and had no noticeable head. It was colored almost exactly like the alien she had seen when she was teleported to the strange world. Then, it emitted a noise like a cat, and jumped at the glass. Its powerful legs scratched it, and the young scientist got to see the underbelly. It was dark, and had a sort of teeth on the front.

_It's like a crab or something._

It jumped again, scratching the glass more. She knew that if she waited long enough, it would get lose, and she would have an even bigger problem on her hands. Looking away, she was shocked to find the body of a security guard on the floor, slumped against the wall opposite to the door. A name tag read 'Browly', and a black pistol lie on the ground next to him, near his hand. Now really freaked out, she stumbled backwards into the glass case. The creature inside clawed at it, trying to get a taste of her flesh.

She screamed, and ran away from both things, tripping over the big beam she had moved. She lay on the ground for several moments, trying to catch her breath. Finally, Lexine got up, and inched towards the dead guard. His chest was stained with blood, but after taking a careful but quick examination, she realized it was because something had been tearing into him. Realizing she needed it, she bent down and picked up the black pistol, sporting a white logo on the barrel.

It was then Dr. Stapleton realized she had no idea how to use one, and she didn't have her handbook. She got the idea to ask the suit, "How do I use one of these?"

She looked down at the pistol and the suit began a verbal lesson.

-The Black Mesa nine-millimeter pistol is meant for defense only. To fire pull the trigger; the gun is designed to have very little recoil. To reload, press the small button on the side of the grip, and the empty clip will slid out. Replace with an identical full one, and pull back the top part of the gun. Each clip has thirteen rounds. There is an automatic safety system, which detects if there is both a user and a target before you can fire-

She took in all the advice, and then placed the pistol on her right leg. The suit engaged a magnet, holding it in place.

-Recommend finding additional clips-

Lexine looked down at the body, and crouched down to inspect it. Sure enough, along the side of Browly's belt were two ammo clips. She took them, placing each on her left hip.

_I hope I never have to use this._

She stood, and carefully walked over to the door to the control room. The lights were flickering, and the machines were sparking. Knowing it was the only way to go, she lowered her head to the scanner, hoping it would accept her.

"Access denied."

-Sending emergency override signal-, the suit bleeped, understanding the emergency.

The door opened, allowing Lexine access to the dark room. She looked around, and then inched inside. After getting about half way in, the door behind her slid shut, startling her. Dr. Lynn kept moving, but then stopped, and heard a snarling behind her. Abruptly turning around, she saw Dr. Aretino, but he wasn't the same. His chest was burst open, displaying a horrifying display of guts and blood, and another crab creature was locked to his head.

"Dr. Aretino?" She shakily said.

He replied with a scream, and swung his left arm at her. She nearly dodged it, giving her a nasty gash on her cheek and sending her down to the floor. The creature growled again, and came charging at the fragile woman. Getting up, she dashed across the dark room opposite to the beast, futilely attempting to hide from it. It turned around, and locked on to its prey.

"Please, stop!" she shouted at Dr. Aretino. This time, it tried to respond.

"Arhahaharg, mahumge keall mehg AAHH!"

Now she understood; the creature on top was somehow controlling Dr. Aretino, forcing him to attack her. Not wanting to understand, she deciphered what he just said; kill me.

The creature limped towards her, growling and screaming unclear sounds. She reached to her side, and removed the pistol from her hip, pointing it at her recent friend. "I can't!"

"AHAHAHARHARHG!"

Her former friend approached, his hands sharpened to claws, more than willing to tear her apart. She aimed the weapon at his open belly, not wanting to shoot.

-Lexine, fire-, the suit commanded.

"Can't we save him?" She said, fighting back tears. The beast came closer, and she inched under the control table, ready but unwilling to shoot him.

-Chances of survival; four percent. Strongly recommend firing-

She closed her eyes, and shot the weapon. The suit did a good job of blocking the sound, but the terrible sound still echoed around in her brain. The creature was only shot in the stomach, and still alive.

"GARGAHARG!"

Dr. Stapleton knew she just succeeded in injuring the scientist, not the creature on his head. She aimed her pistol at the alien on top, bending Dr. Aretino down to strike at her. As the handbook had suggested, she looked through the iron sights for a clear shot. She scooted backwards, looking for any other possible solutions.

-Fire now-, the suit commanded, sounding more and more like an evil artificial intelligence computer, though she knew what needed to be done.

Tears falling from her eyes and rolling down her cheeks, she primed the weapon, and aimed it squarely at the terrible beast's head. "I'm so sorry," she whimpered, and then fired the weapon. The black bullet, even having a tiny logo, struck the alien right in the center, sending it flying of his head. Dr. Aretino was hurtled against the wall by the force. Lexine instantly exited her hiding spot, and knelt by his side.

He gurgled blood for a brief instant, looking at her. Then he stopped, and his head leaned to the right. His eyes were open, but he was certainly dead. Dr. Lynn felt guilty, not for killing the man, because the creature was controlling him, but for creating this mess in the first place. She knew what Dr. Fredrick had tried to prevent, and she had just done it.

Reaching out her left hand, she gently closed each eye, sobbing. She put the pistol on her side again, and stood up. She looked with complete hatred at the creature responsible. Lexine slowly picked it up, making sure it was dead. "Suit," she sobbed, failing to fight back the tears that were now streaming down her cheeks, "analyze this, this, head crab."

-Analysis underway-

She turned it around in her hands to make sure the suit had a good look at it. The insides were caked with blood; Dr. Aretino's blood.

-Analysis complete. The 'head crab', as you call it, is a parasitic organism that can completely override the nervous system of a human, serving as the host. The human will then be used to kill other organisms in order to obtain food for both. The human does not have to be alive, but most are for the first few moments after the bite-

The words 'few moments' stung Lexine, telling her that if she had moved faster, she might have been able to save his life.

_If I hadn't of pushed that blasted crystal into the beam, none of this would have happened_, she reminded herself.

Dropping the creature, she looked back over at her new friend, remembering how much he had helped her. Then, she realized that Dr. Meijer was gone.

_Don't show up late for him too!_

Wiping her eyes with her hands, she started to move on, but then stopped, knowing what she had to do. Dr. Stapleton turned around, and had the suit open the security door again, proceeding into the filter room. Turning right, she learned that the head crab in the tube was still there, trying to break free.

"You will never hurt anyone!" She yelled, drawing her pistol. She aimed it at the alien creature, and fired multiple times. The first three shots hit the glass, doing nothing. The fourth shattered it, grazing the head crab. Two more shots from the pistol killed it, making a strange sound.

-Five shots remaining-, the suit, keeping track of everything, reported.

It was then she realized that she was crying again, and had killed another living thing. She dropped the gun, and sank to her knees, cradling them, and rocking back and forth. _What have I done?_

She started sobbing, not caring if she would electrocute herself, and continued rocking back in forth, hundreds of meters underground, in a flickering room, in the middle of a resonance cascade she had created.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Using a wooden pointer, Oswald circled the highest bar on the graph being projected on the wall. "Here you see how much grant money Black Mesa gets from our government."

"Here," he continued, pointing at the minuscule blue bar, "is how much we get. Although it would seem better working there, I thank you, newcomers, for working for Aperture Science."

A woman with long blonde hair, sitting at the square conference table, raised her hand.

"Yes, Miss Palmer?"

"Mr. Colek, do we have _any_ advantages over Black Mesa?" She asked.

Thinking for a moment, Oswald replied, "For one, we are free of what the government wants us to do. We can research anything we want, whenever we want. That's another reason we have GLaDOS."

-It is an honor to be here-, the super computer replied in a computerized female voice.

"Moving on," he said; the projector automatically switching to the next slide. "You will notice that at Black Mesa, they will actually wipe your memory if you leave. Here we do none of that; we simply let you go!"

He listened, allowing subtle murmurs to travel around in the small room. Smiling, Mr. Colek continued with his welcome speech. "Black Mesa is working on some sort of project with portals; they started about two months after we did. The only difference is," he chuckled, "that they're messing around with a material's resonance."

"What's a resonance?" Someone asked from the group, raising their hand.

"A resonance," he explained, "is sort of like a fluctuation on the dimensional level. Pushing it too far would create a resonance cascade, or a dimensional rift that would certainly destroy the entire facility."

-In Layman's terms; a portal storm-

"We," he proudly said, "have mastered interdimensional gateways, and soon will be able to make serious money off our 'portal guns'. Black Mesa will be a speck out in a desert wasteland by the time we make our fame known!"

The new employees, some exited, some confused, started clapping lightly, and continued into a round of applause. "Thank you," he said, bowing.

-Please keep in mind that all new employees will be given assignments shortly. Dismissed-

After a few awkward seconds of silence, a few of the new employees in the back of the room got up. As they exited, other people started quietly talking amongst themselves, and got up too. Soon, everyone was walking out of the room, exited to start their first day working in Aperture Science. Oswald smiled, ready to take any questions the people had as they exited the room.

Pushing his way from the crowd, a hopeful young man came up to him. "Who is this GLaDOS thing anyway?"

Happy he though she was alive, (and in a certain sense, GLaDOS was alive,) he chuckled, and then explained, "GLaDOS, or Generic Life and Disk Operation System, is a supercomputer, deep within the facility. Before we had her, everything had to be analyzed by us. Now she does the work."

He looked confused, and then replied, "So, it's AI?"

"Yes."

They stared at each other for a moment, and then the young man broke out laughing. Oswald, wondering how he ever got in, merely observed.

"You, you honestly think that it's a good idea to have AI? Come on! Hasn't anyone watched the movies?" He bent over laughing, nearly falling to the ground. His laughter was rude, mocking laughter that made the whole facility seem like a joke.

-I can assure you that I am only here for your protection-

"Exactly," Oswald sternly replied. The young man stopped laughing. "We even have a core installed on her that can override her core system. It would only take a tap of a button."

-Not that it would be necessary-

Looking flustered, he stepped back, ready to leave. "We can fire you right now if it would make you feel safer. Now get out of here!"

He turned around, and paced out of the room. Oswald knew that he and GLaDOS were sharing the same emotion right now; disappointment of the younger generations' faith in computers. "Shut down the projector," he mumbled.

-Projector shutdown complete-

Oswald then heard breathing. He glanced over at the conference table, and found Miss Palmer still sitting there. "Can I help you?" He asked.

"What? Oh, I decided to wait here for now." She quietly replied.

Thinking for a moment, he replied, "Want something to do?"

"Sure," she replied, hoping for something to cure her boredom.

"Follow me," Oswald said, leaving the room. The woman got up, and did as he instructed. "I have something to show you," he said, turning left into a staircase. Miss Palmer, not liking stairs, complained, "Why don't we have elevators?"

"Sorry," he replied. "That would stretch our budget; Black Mesa has elevators everywhere. But think of it this way; stairs can't break down."

"You don't have _any_ elevators?" She asked, hopeful.

"We do, in the test chambers, but not here. Sorry."

Groaning, she followed him up the stairs. As they reached the top of one flight, Oswald turned and continued up another. She grudgingly followed.

Upon reaching the top of the second flight, he walked straight into a hallway. Miss Palmer, thankful, followed closely behind. "In here," Mr. Colek said, opening a metal door. She went in, and he quietly closed it behind them. "We aren't supposed to be in here, but I guess it won't hurt," he whispered.

Miss Palmer looked around, and saw a few tables, chairs, a computer, and a big glass window. Peering into the large room through it, she noticed multiple moving platforms, buttons, and a small person way to the bottom in an orange jumpsuit. "That's one of our test chambers," Oswald said.

"Who's that?"

"That is one of our test subjects." Looking through a clipboard of papers, he replied, "Subject A three four J." Oswald handed the clipboard to the new employee for her to look through it. She flipped through the pages and found medical history, performance on previous chambers, and everything else.

A three four J then got up off the floor, and picked up a white device. He aimed it at a concrete wall, and twisted the lever on the back. It sent out a blue orb, which crashed into the wall. The wall absorbed it, shuddered, and then a blue oval opened on it. He did the same to the floor below him, this time making an orange oval.

"What's he doing?" The young woman asked.

"Just watch."

Suddenly, the ovals turned clear, showing strange views of a room. He slipped through the floor, and popped out of the blue oval. He fell to a raised platform, twenty feet above his starting position.

"Whoa!"

"That's a portal gun," Mr. Colek explained. "It allows you to create interdimensional portals on any non metal surface."

"Since when have you had this technology?" She asked, amazed.

"Years; even before we had GLaDOS!" He exclaimed.

"Aren't you ever going to go to the surface with this?"

"Tell that to Black Mesa," he muttered.

"What?"

"Uh, we haven't tested it completely. If it turns out to be a weapon, we wouldn't want it in everyone's hands. Besides; although the public knows about us, as opposed to Black Mesa, this would really give us away. Rather not."

"I see," she replied, not really listening, but rather watching the A three four J do crazy stunts in the disorienting room. He obviously knew what he was doing, but Miss Palmer could see no sense in his logic.

The man walked over to a large metal box of some sort and aimed his 'gun' at it. The end of the gun surged orange, and the box levitated into the air. Then, A three four J leapt off the platform, taking the cube with him, and onto the ground. Surprisingly, he didn't seem to have broken any bones from the fall.

"Hydraulic knee enhancements," Mr. Colek explained without being asked.

He then took the cube over to a large red button, and rested it on it. The button glowed orange, and on orange line leading from it to a circular door turned blue. The door beeped, and slid open.

"You see that?" Oswald said, pointing a finger at a bluish field through the doorway that just slid open. Miss Palmer leaned her head down by his arm to see what he was pointing at.

"That's an emancipation grip field. It vaporizes most objects, and closes portals."

"Clever," she replied, watching the man walk up to it. He glided right through the field as if it wasn't there at all. Both of the portals he had placed quivered, and squeezed shut. "This makes sure nobody can go back and forth through different chambers," he explained.

-Sarah Palmer you are not authorized to be in this room. Oswald Colek, you aren't either-

He sighed, wishing GLaDOS would give the employees some leeway. "I'm just showing her around! If you would hurry up and give her an assignment I wouldn't have to occupy her like this," Oswald shouted up at a white camera. It 'looked' back with an intimidating glowing red eye.

-I do apologize, however I do not make the rules. I enforce them-

"Um, computer whoever you are, I'm not touching anything! Can't I stay?"

-NEGATIVE! I had my cameras on, and saw you touch the clip board-

Folding his arms, Oswald challenged, "Then why didn't you tell us to leave any sooner?"

Keeping the same tone however starting to use her anger core, GLaDOS replied, -I was searching through authorization documents, trying to find you. Now leave or I will be forced to use knockout gas-

"We had better to as she says," he whispered. She nodded, and opened the door. As soon as the two exited, the door slammed shut and locked.

"How could a computer do that?" She asked. "That door was an old fashioned handle door."

Sarah looked up at the high ceiling, squinting her eyes from the intense light coming from a circular indent in the ceiling.

"We have pads installed inside doors, just in case," he explained.

"Have any idea what my job will be?"

"That's for GLaDOS to decide. Boy, she's mad."

"She didn't sound angry," Sarah Palmer questioned his logic.

"To balance her 'personality', we gave her 'cores'. They help control her AI," he explained. "She may not have shown it, but her anger core was being used more than the others then. She has five different cores; they all do different things."

Oswald, motioning Sarah with him, left the observation room behind them and moved onward. "Mr. Colek, I really don't feel safe here."

Surprised, he stopped and replied, "Why's that?"

"From the looks of this facility, it is a small three story building _over _ground. They don't tell you it goes _way _down. I hate being underground, and I agree with that one guy concerned with the AI."

"Listen," Oswald assured. "GLaDOS isn't an 'evil' super computer. Her only duties are to protect all of us and examine testing subjects." Seeing that it didn't help, he put his arm around her shoulder and asked, "You don't have to work down here. Do you want to return to the surface right now?"

Pulling away, she said, "I need this job. Besides, I went to college to become a nanoscientist, and got a doctoral degree. Not working here would be a waste of my talents."

_Only like tiny things… _he sarcastically thought.

"I wonder what's taking so long," he mumbled. "There aren't many opportunities in the nanoscience division."

Subconsciously trying to get her mind off the worry, she said, "I wonder if I can finally create a device that could save millions of lives!"

"How's that?" Oswald asked, happy she wasn't worrying anymore.

"There is a theory that in order to completely destroy a virus you would—"

Then the lights flickered, and went out. Sarah stopped speaking, and so did everyone else on the level at that time. In the total darkness, all that could be heard was their breathing. A few moments later they came on again, and the two listened for some kind of sign that everything was okay. They didn't hear a sound.

"G-GLaDOS?" Oswald shakily said. "What was that?" For the first time ever, there was no response.

"Tell me that's not bad," Miss Palmer nervously said.

Mr. Colek opened his mouth to respond, but said nothing, not knowing the answer.

-Primary system reboot-

_Yup, that's bad_, Oswald thought. GLaDOS had only been shut down once; before they made her. For seven years she had continued running even through the huge thunderstorm, through an earthquake, even when someone tried to hack into her. She never shut down. Whatever made her must have been big.

-Six cores detected-

"Six?" Sarah questioned. "I thought she had five."

"Me too," he mumbled in response. "GLaDOS; what the devil just happened?"

-Massive anomaly detected. Cores 1, 2, 3, and 5 shutdown imminent-

"NO!" He shouted. "Override command, do not shutdown the cores, and what anomaly did you detect."

-Core shutdown complete-

"What does that leave?" Sarah asked, scared.

"Her control core; we have to get out of here!" Mr. Colek said, his natural leading abilities taking over. He gripped her left arm, and pulled her towards the solid concrete staircase.

"What cores does she have?" Miss Palmer asked, trying to gain knowledge if it was needed.

"The first is anger, the second is curiosity. The third, forgiveness, controls how much leeway she gives us to make mistakes and to overlook things. The fourth would be control; the one she left on. The fifth is the emergency shutdown core, in case she goes berserk. I never knew she could shut them down."

"And the sixth?"

"I have no idea," he admitted. "I didn't even know she had a sixth."

-Locating epicenter-

"The epicenter of what?" Oswald asked as they continued moving, annoyed that he wasn't getting a response.

Thankfully she replied, -I detected a dimensional rift of immense destructive power a few minutes ago, emanating from the Black Mesa research facility-

"Why did you shut down the cores?" Sarah asked as she was led up the stairs.

-In order to do my duty, I shut down all the inhibitor cores except for control. You will thank me-

"Thank you for what?" Mr. Colek yelled. They reached a landing half way up the stairs, and turned to continue upward, towards the surface. However their departure was cut short; the stairs ended, still hundreds of meters from the parking lot.

_I'm starting to think this GLaDOS thing was a bad idea too_, he thought, agreeing with the youngster in the conference room.

"There is another staircase across this level," Oswald reassured.

"More stairs?" She complained. He only rolled his eyes in response. "Also, what are you so worried about?"

"She might not have done anything yet," he said, "but it's the capability that worries me, now with most of her cores down."

Sarah stopped complaining, and followed Oswald through the hallway.

-Don't run-, the computer seriously added, making the two chuckle.

*****

Stretching its elongated knife like fingers, an alien gazed through the clear visor on the primary command ship. It slowly looked down with small orange eyes, and swept the console. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, it took a step back and resumed admiring its universe. Another command vessel flew behind it, the sensors keeping a strict collision protection system engaged.

Its fingers fused back into a grey sheer, and retracted into its arms. It glanced down again, as if it was waiting for something. A blue pulsing square represented all objects within a three light year radius. Right now it was zoomed in to this sector. A single red blip emerged, and floated near the ship.

Red illuminators flashed throughout the bridge, and high pitched warning sounds, that only the aliens could hear, were sent throughout the ship. Not worrying, its hand and four fingers emerged again from its greenish arm. They glided over to the consol, and picked the image right off of it. It turned into a projected hologram which the alien put up to a suitable distance from his face.

Using a series of clucking and popping noise, it signaled the powerful computer to get an image of the strange anomaly. It showed an orange, four legged creature, floating through space. The sensors read it was still alive. The alien examined the strange being briefly, and then returned to scanning over the ships many monitors. It sent him a signal that the being was using a primitive video/audio recording device, however the very energy created by the ship's engines was sufficient to block it.

It returned the hologram to its position on the console, and continued looking over the sensors. The red outline on the sensor panel, representing the alien creature, (to the alien in the starship,) disappeared. The tall greenish alien made a satisfied clucking sound, but then stopped. Multiple orange blips started flashing all over the panel, many inside their ship. It flexed its fingers, ready.

Using great skill, it tapped on multiple dots as they appeared, turning them green. When it was satisfied, it turned its attention to another panel. It pushed its fingers forwards on the screens, activating the engines. Every ship in the alien fleet started moving towards the targeted points on the radar. One reached it, and it disappeared with a flash. Another did, and it too was sucked into space.

After a few moments, every one of the hundreds of ships had left the sector, leaving only the command ship, and one green dot. The alien controlling it felt nervous and excited as it approached its destination. Just before reaching it, the creature tapped a part of a control hologram, making the ship shutter. A turquoise field was emitted around the starship, just before it was pulled into blackness.

The alien stayed at the control panel, sparsely breathing, until the fleet reached their destination…


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Jian Wan looked down at his desk, searching for dust or anything dirty for him to clean up. He wanted to have a spotless Chinese jewelry shop in order to attract more customers. The ringing of a bell alerted his attention, so he looked up to greet his first customer of the day.

"Welcome to Oriental Jewels. Can I help you?" He said in his best English.

"Have you seen a cat anywhere?" The woman responded. Jian did his best to understand her, but only made out the word 'cat'.

_She wants cat?_

"Cat? No cat meat; only Jewelry," He said, wishing she wouldn't leave.

"NO! My cat ran away. Have you seen him anywhere?" He realized that his response wasn't correct, and once again tried to interpret what she said.

"No, but I believe your cat run away," Mr. Wan responded in a Chinese accent. "Many animals run away from owner today I notice. Creatures have ability to sense danger, maybe cat got scared."

"Psh! What could happen; hurricane, earthquake, tornado? What would spook every animal in the city?"

Jian shrugged his shoulders, not because he didn't know the answer, but because he couldn't understand her Southern accent. The woman left the store, disappointing the owner.

_Maybe another will come._

He looked around the shop, in case something had made her leave, but then realized that not many people appreciated Chinese jewelry. He was already in debt, as he rarely got a customer. He thought about the woman's missing cat. When he woke up, he didn't hear the annoying bark of his neighbor's pet dog.

*****

After about a half hour of waiting for the next costumer, something unexpected happened. The ground beneath the man started to shake and rumble. His feet were thrown from under him, and he grabbed onto the counter for support. He had studied martial arts, and his arms were strong enough to keep him off the ground for the duration of the earthquake. Almost without thinking, he looked around his small shop for any breakables that would need to be rescued. Finding none, he planted his feet on the ground and waited until the shaking had subsided.

Taking a deep breath, Mr. Wan saw that his store was mostly unharmed, but then realized a shocking truth.

_Earthquakes? In New York?_

Puzzled, he flipped open the door leading from behind the counter to the rest of the store, and cautiously walked through it. He pushed open the windowed door to the streets, only to hear a ground-rattling explosion. It quickly subsided, proving not to be an aftershock.

Jian flew out of the building, and saw that some cars outside had stopped, but most were speeding through the streets. Looking up, he quickly learned why. The sky was grey with clouds, but it wasn't raining. Bright blue lightning sparked across the sky, not favoring anything to strike; everything was vulnerable. A bolt sailed down from the sky, and struck a passing automobile. It exploded in flame, and tumbled through the street.

_Oh boy._

He thought about what to do, and decided it was safest inside a building. The shop owner darted back inside the jewelry shop and waited for the apocalypse to end.

*****

Kurtiss looked through his window at the weather outside his apartment, concerned. He scratched his head, and paced back and forth.

_I hope Josh got home okay._

He bit his fingernails on his left hand nervously, worried, and confused. Deciding what to do, he jogged over to the couch and leapt onto it. Picking up the remote, he turned on the television. He switched to the news channel, hoping for an explanation.

On it, a newscaster spoke into a microphone next to a large building. "Scientists cannot explain exactly what's happening here; they say it is far too advanced for any of them."

A deranged bystander walked around behind her, staring up at the sky. The camera shakily was lifted to view the disturbing event. A grey cloud shadowed everything, with sparks of energy coming out of it. The camera was remounted, and the newswoman continued speaking.

"A few of our most advanced physicists say that this must be a natural event because the technology required to create this worldwide event _does not exist._ If you feel safer, you should leave the city right now."

The screen switched to a fuzzy image of another building with a man standing in from of it.

"I am here live in St. Louis. We are experiencing similar events."

The camera shifted upward, and Kurtiss saw the same view of the sky. Then, something unexpected happened. A green spot formed, and bent light around it. Suddenly an unknown object sped out of it, from thin air. The camera shifted to keep up with it as it spun around, aiming at them. The image was fuzzy, but he could make out some grey blobs come out of it. The camera went black, and then switched back to the studio view.

"We seem to have lost them. Once again we urge you to—"

Kurtiss had seen enough. He shut off the TV, and got up.

_Okay, okay._

He went over to the window again, and saw the streets jammed with cars; people pushing and shoving, cars smashing into each other, and police trying but failing to contain the event.

"What's happening?"

*****

Josh opened drawer after drawer, searching for a single item.

"It's got to be here somewhere."

He pulled out another drawer full of underwear. The English teacher grabbed a handful, and threw it on his queen bed. With his other he did the same, until he got to the bottom. A glistening silver Desert Eagle laid on the bottom, no longer concealed by white underwear. Three clips were beside it, each holding seven bullets.

_This might come in handy._

He picked up the weapon, not being surprised by the weight. Josh had been trained to use one, as he was employed at a high school for juvenile teenagers. He grabbed all the clips, putting them in his pocket. Then he heard the much too familiar sound of his phone ringing. Mr. Strumble fiddled around in his pocket for his cell phone, and flipped open the top.

"Hello?" He nervously asked.

"Josh!" A familiar voice responded on the other end. Looking at the caller ID, he realized it was his buddy Kurtiss.

"Kurt! Are you okay? What the devil is going on?"

"I don't know," he replied. "Have you been watching the news?"

"Yeah," Josh responded, looking over at his flat screen TV in his living room. "I've got to admit; this is even weirder than when I got that student that couldn't say T's, R's, or N's."

"Never mind that," Kurtiss quickly said, "but people are evacuating the cities. It's chaotic out there; you should bring that gun of yours."

_Got it right here._

"Listen buddy, I'm going to come over by your place and pick you up. Wait outside so I can see you, and bring anything you might need!"

"Wait; Kurt—"

The phone line was interrupted with static. Pressing the redial button, Josh prayed he could get through to his buddy in time to tell him that Kurtiss should stay where _he _was and himself, having the only gun, would go pick him up. The other way around was suicide in this mayhem.

_If this madness ever ends, you wouldn't want your car to be banged up_,his selfish side thought.

_This madness WON'T end_, his pessimistic side responded.

Ignoring both ends, he looked down at the dreadful text on the screen; No Service. He flipped it shut again and put it back in his pocket. Knowing that Kurtiss was going to risk his life and come over to get him was inevitable; he tried to stay true to the plan.

_Now for homework I want you all to write an essay on what to bring with on a journey into danger. I want it to be done by Monday, so you'll have the whole weekend to work on it._

Josh remembered the homework he had given the students the previous afternoon, and chuckled at the irony of it all. "If anyone finishes it I will give it an 'A', no matter what," he mumbled remembering in his previous years teaching, everyone had said things like a Playstation, or their life's savings.

_Stupid kids…_

Knowing that not one of them had taken it seriously, he knew that it wouldn't be any help. He regretted never attempting the assignment himself. Josh shoved the gun between his belt and pants, and walked over to his large kitchen. His face was illuminated by the refrigerator's light as he opened it, searching for water bottles. He took four, and then set them on the counter. He gently closed the large door thereafter.

Opening up a lower cabinet, he removed a small garbage bag, and plopped the water bottles in it. Hoping they wouldn't need any more supplies, he slung it over his shoulder and strode over to the front door. Outside of the house the door shifted, and then opened, allowing Josh to view the chaos outside. The sun was smothered out by the sea of grey clouds which sparked with electricity. It wasn't raining, but the wind was insane; threatening to tip over cars, break trees, and send anyone off their feet. A few of the small trees had already been broken; some completely uprooted.

_Whoa_

"Hey, look who's emerging from his den!"

Startled, the school teacher looked down the steps leading to his house at one of his students. He was holding a wooden baseball bat.

"I've waited far too long to get revenge on you, 'scumble'. Now that the world's ending, I get to be at the top. Hand over the keys to your car, NOW! And don't you _dare_ correct my English."

Mr. Strumble chuckled, drawing the _unloaded_ pistol from his belt. He placed his left hand on the bottom to hide the fact there wasn't a bullet in there.

_Time to bluff._

"Same here," he replied, facially trying to hide the fact that his gun had no clip and that the kid could kill him at any moment.

Thankfully, the belligerent kid dropped the weapon, spun around, and sprinted from the scene. "Kidding!" He shouted from behind.

_Stupid kid_, he thought, thankful for once of the stupidity of the youth.

Josh put the weapon back in his belt, ready to draw it again if necessary, and waited for his friend to rescue him from this madness.

*****

Dr. Althea Sarris threw the back doors of the ambulance closed after the patient was safely inside. It drove off the sidewalk and into the street. Another cart came out of the hospital, holding an elderly patient. The doctor pushing it lifted the cart into another ambulance as Althea held the doors open.

A bolt of energy came down from the sky and struck a small tree across the street. It cracked, and slowly fell over. Then it combusted, setting alight. Next to the burning heap, Dr. Sarris saw a small frightened girl. She turned and ran across the street, careful to dodge the cars. Upon reaching the sidewalk, she jogged over to the girl and bent down.

"Are you alone?"

The small girl sobbed, not being able to answer. It was then the pediatrician recognized her; it was Rachel.

"Rachel? Where's your mommy?"

She looked around, frightened. "I don't know."

"Where did you last see her?" She asked, trying to get some information out.

Struggling to answer, Rachel replied, "We were running, and then they got her!"

Confused, Dr. Sarris asked, "Who's they?"

To answer her question, a low pitched sound came from the sky above. Looking up, she saw a greenish tint surrounded by what looked like a heat wave. Then it closed in on itself, and something came out; something very big. From the bottom, Althea saw a metal structure, surrounded by a strange bluish field. From the looks of the anomaly, it was the size of eight football fields.

It tore right through the side of the hospital, sending debris raining down. Luckily, whatever it was stopped most of the wreckage from hitting them. The field flickered and disappeared. Next, multiple small sections came down from the hull, looking like cannons. At all angles they shot out grey blobs at fast speed. One hit a truck driving down the road, melting right through the roof. It exploded, and skid down the street in a molten heap.

Another car came driving down the road at a ridiculous speed, not taking note of any safety precautions. It smashed into the half melted car, merging with it, the heat making the gas tank combust and then explode. The two cars created a powerful explosion, sending red hot metal flying in all directions. Althea pulled Rachel in front of her, and guarded the youngling with her back.

After the debris had stopped coming down, she got up looked around for anyone who could care for Rachel, but realized it was up to her. She protectively grabbed the small girl's arm and yanked her down the sidewalk. Curiosity then got the best of both of both of them. They stopped and looked up at the colossal vessel, assumedly alien, and watched it rain destruction on the city. Another portal appeared under it, and a small ship flew out, no bigger than a semi truck. It flew close to the street and started attacking various objects, possessing similar weapons. With impossible maneuverability, it flipped around and dove at the two observers.

Althea took off with Rachel, running as fast as they could.

*****

Kurtiss violently turned his keys in the ignition, praying the truck would start. After four turns, the engine started, making him sigh with relief. The feeling quickly passed as the construction worker looked at the sky, seeing an enormous black object, firing deadly grey projectiles at things. He pulled his car out on to the street, lined with people, cars, and burning wreckage.

He swerved to the left to avoid a smoldering fire truck, which could explode at any second. Through his dirtied windshield, he could see the grey blobs raining down from the strange object in the sky. As the struck the pavement, the heat made it glow orange. Kurtiss carefully avoided them, and continued on towards Josh's home. He turned right, seeing the next street was the same.

"Oh boy," he worried. The entire city was a mess, but not thirty minutes ago it was perfectly normal.

From above, a lone military fighter flew through the air. It launched a missile, and continued onwards. The missile then engaged its thrusters, and locked on to the alien vessel. It curved upwards and struck the black under belly. The ship continued gracefully moving through the city, tearing into the sides of buildings like a hot knife through butter. It took no apparent damage itself.

_Should I be amazed or worried?_

When he returned his view to the street ahead, he found a man with a black sweatshirt standing in front of him. He was holding a golf club, ready to strike, while a crowd of people across the street were busy raiding a bank, taking advantage of the crisis.

"Get out of the car; NOW!" The insane person shouted in a foreign accent.

Kurtiss hesitated, wondering if the man was serious. To answer his question, he came running at his vehicle with the weapon. The driver immediately shifted the car into reverse to back up, but it was too late. The crazed man leapt onto the hood, and swung his weapon down upon the windshield. A large crack was formed, blocking his view. He swung it down again, shattering it. Kurtiss slammed on the gas pedal, sending the car flying backwards. He stopped it, and brushed glass from his face.

The man, now some distance away got up, and growled like some sort of wild animal.

_End of the world syndrome?_

Still holding the club, he raised it behind him, and hurtled it at Kurtiss' truck. Seeing the incoming object, he backed up and turned around to avoid it, and decided to take a different route to Josh.

*****

Sanchali huddled behind a green trash bin, waiting for the madness to end. Peeking over the top, she saw that the chaos had only increased. Worrying about the whereabouts of her cat, she remembered what the Chinese man had told her. The cat obviously knew this was coming, and had run away for this reason. Hopefully, it was safe.

However, Sanchali was far from that.

She fearfully looked up at the black figure moving across the sky. A hatch opened on the bottom, and a smaller ship sped out of it. It swooped down to street level, and launched strange grey blobs out of the front at a passing car. They melted through the front, disintegrating the driver, and setting the vehicle alight. The basket ball player ducked her head down to remain unseen.

"Hey!"

She gasped and turned around. To her relief, he wasn't trying to kill her. The man, no older than twenty five, was reaching out his hand to help her up. She took it, and then stood to her full height, which was higher than his.

"I'm Rick Burcin. Come on; we have to get out of here," he advised, already looking around for a safe escape point. Finding the other end of the ally away from the recently destroyed car suitable, he started running towards that direction. Miss Palkia followed, anxious to leave the city.

As they reached the end, a man with a black outfit jumped in their path. Holding a golf club, he appeared quite hostile. He raised it to swing, and then stopped, seeing Rick.

"Rick? I've been looking everywhere for you," he said as if he was on drugs. His shirt had a large while skull on it, suggesting that he was gothic. He had a tight grip on the golf club he held, ready to take anyone's head off that get in his way.

Sanchali's new friend was about to respond, but then saw her scared expression. "Oh, this is my buddy Scott. Scott, this is, um—"

"Sanchali Palkia. You know; I play basket ball," she greeted, extending her arm.

"Pleasure to meet you," he said in a Russian accent, roughly shaking her hand. "Sorry for the scare; people are going crazy. Surprised I'm still sane!"

_Yeah, sure_, she thought. Her sarcasm quickly died away as she started to worry about her own safety.

"Let's get going," the sane man said, leading the way. The three continued on their journey through the city, as the strange alien ship behind them continued in its path of destruction.

*****

Peaking and eye over his counter, Jian slowly scanned the store for any hostiles. Even in the chaos, he wasn't even being robbed.

_Are these jewels that bad?_

He stood up, and carefully made his way around the counter. After reaching the front door, he opened it. The soft ringing of the bell was overcome by the noise outside. Looking up, Mr. Wan saw the same gigantic metal object float through the sky. It was destroying the city with ease, and nothing was getting in its way.

_Where is our military?_

Suddenly, Jian heard the roaring of an engine. He ducked out of the way as a smaller ship nearly took his head off. The ship went from a few hundred miles an hour to zero in a second, stopping a few meters away. It glided down to the street level, which was swarming with citizens. They were screaming and shouting, pushing each other out of the way; frantic to leave the city. Not afraid but curious, the shop owner inched over to the parked vessel.

Its shape wasn't geometrical, (or at least to a human's eyes it wasn't,) however Mr. Wan could easily locate a 'back end', if you could call it that. A section of the hull, sporting a chrome metal plate, started to vibrate. The entire surface jiggled, and turned into a liquid like material, still keeping its shape. A bump was formed, and then another. Another section started bending outward below the two. Then a creature burst out of the ship, coming right through the 'solid' section. It turned back into a sheet of metal, sealing the ship.

_What is that?_

The alien beast was an impressive creature; standing six feet tall, it had thick greenish skin. Its arms had openings on the ends, and its legs were long and quite powerful. The head had two orange eyes, no pupils, sweeping the area of screaming people. The alien made a few clicking noises with its throat, and the ship began to rise into the air. It angled downward, and shot two projectiles at a crowd of people. They were incinerated, or they combusted, adding to the chaos of the event.

Moving slowly, the vessel continued attacking the hapless citizens and the creature walked over to Jian. The others were running as fast as they could away from the obviously aggressive alien, but Mr. Wan wasn't.

Instead of being trained to use a hand gun like his paranoid neighbors, he had been trained in martial arts and fencing for self defense. He took a deep breath, and assumed a fighting stance, ready to take on the invader. The creature stopped, and scanned the man's position as if it were a computer. After it had analyzed every weakness in the position Mr. Wan had assumed, it took a step closer; the two now only being a few meters away.

In Chinese, the man challenged, "I am waiting."

The creature understood, and twitched its arms. From the openings, a large grey blade of a material similar to bone slid out, and completed its arms. The alien took a giant leap towards him, and swung its arm.

He narrowly ducked out of the way, avoiding decapitation, but the alien was faster. It brought its leg upwards, nailing him it the stomach. Jian was hurtled into the air, and crashed against the door to his humble jewelry shop.

He jumped back onto his feet, only bruised, and narrowed his eyes.

"I'm not easily defeated!" He shouted in his native language. The creature casually walked over to the confident man, and made more clicking sounds. Then it jabbed its long, _sharp_, arm at Jian, but he was quick to react. He brought his arm up to block the attack, attempting to shove the arm out of the way. To his dismay, his strength compared to the alien was like a fly against a newspaper. Realizing his mistake, he leapt out of the way to his right. The alien was quicker, although, and with its left arm, the grey section separated into finger like appendages. It caught Mr. Wan's leg, and lifted him up until their faces met.

Upside down, Jian saw that the alien was not exerting any effort to constrain him. The creature clicked and clucked in victory, when he saw his chance. He drew his fist back, and thrust it into the alien's face with as much strength he had left. The alien stopped making sounds.

Shakily, he removed his hand, and looked at its face. Unfortunately, it was unharmed. The creature made a rhythmic high pitched sound that Jian knew could only mean one thing; it was laughing.

The Chinese man looked at his aching hand; swollen as if it had punched concrete. The alien swung the unfortunate human behind its back, and threw him into his own store. He sailed through the glass, knocking over a display rack, and crashed into the wall behind. He tried getting up, but couldn't. Through his blurred vision, and a pile of broken glass, display cases, and jewelry he saw the alien stop laughing, and bow slightly towards him.

Jian uttered a particularly nasty Chinese curse word just before blacking out.

*****

As the small truck slowed, Kurtiss' eyes scanned the chaos of screaming people, burning wreckage, and alien ships zipping through the air for his friend. He was at his house, but Josh was nowhere to be seen.

As if he could hear his voice, Kurtiss shouted, "Hey! Josh, get in the car!"

Even if Josh heard, he was nowhere in sight. He started to open the driver's door and step out, but quickly retracted his leg back into the car, slamming the door shut simultaneously. He felt a false security in the truck for some reason, despite the fragile windshield being shattered.

Abruptly, he heard a tapping on the window. Kurtiss lurched upward out of his seat, only to realize it was his friend. He relaxed slightly, and rolled down the manual window.

"Josh! Get in the other side," he hastily told him. Then, and explosion thundered through the city, rattling the ground.

"Kurt," he replied, "I want to drive; I've been in this city longer than you have."

Not taking the effort or time to argue, the construction worker shifted over into the passenger seat, throwing the driver's door open. Josh stepped into the vehicle, and closed the rusted door after him.

The truck lurched forward as Josh slammed on the gas pedal. Not taking his eyes off the cluttered road, he reached over and handed his side arm to his friend. "Kurt; take this. Don't use it unless you have to."

Kurtiss' eyes went wide as he eyed the powerful weapon. Josh then handed him a clip, which Kurtiss slowly loaded. Picking up the weapon, he tilted it, lining up the sights. "Boom," he whispered.

Seeing his friend foolishly play around with it, Josh warned, "Careful, careful! Watch the recoil; it packs quite a punch."

In return, he rolled his eyes, assuring himself he knew what he was doing.

_That boy's going to blow his head off_, Josh thought.

Rapidly, more silver projectile filled the streets in front of them, destroying anything they got near. Trees burned just from being close to them, and the asphalt that was struck melted into a sticky, glowing viscous liquid. Josh accelerated, hoping to avoid the fire raining down from the object in the sky.

"Josh, why are we going into the havoc?"

Nervously, he replied, "We'll be fine."

Then, Kurtiss saw that they were exiting the city. After thinking for a moment, he boldly said, "Turn around."

"What? Are you crazy?"

"Listen, Josh. We need to get Wilbert. He is probably _really_ confused right now."

"He can take care of himself," Josh said, trying to focus on driving.

"Josh, think. He was dropped off at our table not an hour ago with no memory at all, and now all this is happening?"

The driver waited, to see where he was going.

"You think he was captured by the aliens?"

"Ugh, NO! Kurtiss, I know you like doing nice things, but we can't just go back for him."

"No, really!" he argued. "I have a feeling he has something to do with this."

Josh turned a hard right U-turn around, going the opposite way on a street. Not that it mattered now. "Alright, Kurt, have it your way. But this is the last person we are going out of our way to help."

"Thanks Josh. You know, we might—"

Suddenly, the city went nearly black. Josh slammed on the brakes, bringing the truck to a halt. The electricity was out, so the only light came from the fires spread through the city. From out of the broken windshield the two fearfully looked upwards at the black figure blocking out the sun.

*****

The alien commander's ship was flung out of travel and into the atmosphere of the human's planet. Its fingers traveled over the controls, sending faster-than-light signals to the thousands of turrets that dotted the ship. The rear right section of the ship fired on a large human gambling complex in a desert, while the middle left section destroyed a city by a large freshwater lake.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"GENERAL PIERCE!"

In unison, the soldier stood to attention, along with the others. As he emerged from the cockpit of the stretched helicopter, they quietly saluted them.

"At ease men," the general calmly said, as they replaced their arms at their sides.

As they sat back down, he began. "We're sorry for calling you all in on such short notice, but we are facing possibly the largest threat we have ever encountered." He looked around at the soldiers, all showing confused looks. "About a half hour ago, the Black Mesa research facility sent out a code red signal. After that we lost contact."

The listening soldiers focused intently, having questions buzzing throughout their heads.

"If that weren't bad enough, we regret to inform you that the facility was researching illegal topics. Our government secretly made it legal for them, however it didn't make it any less dangerous. Other events are happening worldwide that we are still trying to figure out."

"Still trying to figure out, or won't tell us?" one slowly asked.

The general shot him an angered look, but explained, "We honestly don't know what's going on; really."

The helicopter's rotors were making quite a racket, as they sped towards the facility at maximum speed.

"Sir?"

"Yes, Sergeant Houghton?" Pierce replied, shouting slightly so they could hear.

The sergeant began his question, "What exactly are they researching?"

Thinking for a moment, he cautiously replied, "Faster than light travel; portals if you will. I don't have access to much anything else, and frankly you shouldn't be hearing this, but word has it that it involves briefly leaving our universe."

Houghton raised an eyebrow, confused.

"In order to go from point A to point B, you must go through a point C," he explained. The others listened closely. "They didn't specify what was causing the emergency, but code red means the entire facility is in danger. Something really hit the fan down there, and my guess is it involves just that."

The sergeant's eyes went wide as his mind pictured the possible terrors they were about to face.

*****

THIRTY MINUTES EARLIER

*****

The administrator of Black Mesa nervously tapped his manicured fingernails on his impressive desk, as red lights swept the security screens he was monitoring. Strange creatures, emerging from thin air, jumped at anyone they could get near. Some cameras had been torn from the wall, revealing only static and swelling mysteries.

_What on Earth is happening?_

He looked up at the man in the suit, calmly looking over the fancy room. "What's going on? What's all this?"

The man in the suit shrugged with no expression, and blinked. The administrator turned to his personal security guard on the opposite side of the room. "You know?"

The guard, failing to remain calm, tapped his fingers on his sidearm, ready to take it out. "Sorry, I haven't a clue. Hey, remember Fredrick?"

Hoping he was trying to change the subject, he nodded. "The guy who tried to sabotage C – three three A?"

"Yeah, well weren't they testing," he looked at his black watch, made exclusively for Black Mesa staff, "only about _ten_ minutes ago? I mean, that is one crazy coincidence, you know?"

Leaning under his desk, the administrator removed a sidearm, and set in by his cup of cold coffee.

"Boy, I hope he wasn't right," the guard scratched the back of his head. "I mean, what was he babbling about anyway?"

Painfully, he replied, "He said we wouldn't be able to control it, and it would create a resonance cascade."

They looked at each other, sharing the same emotion; regret. Then, they turned, hearing the clearing of a throat.

"Ahem, I do…believe, that we owe this Fredrick an…apology, yes?"

The administrator rolled his eyes, it not being exactly what you would call an appropriate time for humor. To his surprise, the man didn't make a slight notice of trying to be funny. He looked at a view screen, wondering what he would do. What he _could_ do.

"You think we should call the military? It couldn't hurt," the guard advised.

He rubbed his forehead wondering what to do. After a few seconds, he came to a decision. "I'll call them; Code blue."

He took a deep breath, and then picked up the specialized black phone from a groove in the desk. It softly glowed green, reading his fingerprints and checking for a pulse. Immediately, it connected to the emergency government server, and eventually rang on the other end.

"Black Mesa, what is your emergency."

Making a futile attempt to remain calm and formal, the administrator began to speak. "This is Black Mesa research facility. We are issuing a full scale C.A.C.-E. code blue. Repeat! Code—"

In front of the desk, the metal door was torn out of the wall with a mighty crash. He ducked his head down as an immediate reaction, and then fearfully looked at the powerful creature. It was a Asian female scientist, but something was very wrong. A tan creature had attached itself to her head, and her chest had been ripped open. She snarled and yelled, having a faint hint of her accent, and charged at the desk.

The administrator reached for his handgun, but the man in the suit got it a good second before he even moved. As the creature lurched through the air, the weapon was fired with pinpoint accuracy, solidly contacting the creature on top of the unfortunate scientist. Her mangled head was torn off along with the creature, as the man at the desk ducked down to avoid the decapitated body.

"Hello? Black Mesa, are you still there?"

Picking up the phone, the administrator pulled himself back into his chair. "Yes," he wiped sweat off his forehead, trying to collect himself. "We are issuing a code," he looked over at the suited man, nodding his head, "red. Repeat; CODE RED!"

He hung the phone back up, and slumped into the chair. "I feel like we're making one bad decision after another." He looked over at the man, still holding the pistol. "Thanks, I owe you one."

The man smiled, trying not to laugh. Letting it out, he pointed it at the guard. In response, he reached down to get his weapon, but was too slow. He was thrown back into the wall with a dark hole between his eyes.

"I am…almost sorry," he chuckled, turning his attention to the administrator. "Thank you Black…Mesa, for doing your…part."

"What are you doing?" He got up, and began to stumble away from the man. "What, NO!"

The handgun was fired, delivering a small, chrome bullet into the head of the unlucky, confused administrator.

*****

"So, we're going to save some whacky scientists," a soldier mumbled next to Houghton. He grumbled in response, trying to relax.

"Ubel," he said, opening his eyes. "Enjoying the view?"

He was occupied, cleaning and fine tuning his assault rifle. Ubel reached up for a moment, and scratched his short jet black hair. "It's just rocks and sand. The faster we kill whatever's in there, the better."

"Kill?" A surprised marine shot a confused look at him. "There are only scientists down there, and besides; we can't kill _everyone _even if we were told to."

"I never said," he loaded his weapon with a black clip, "I was killing civilians."

"Whatever is down there might not be hostile!" Sergeant Houghton warned. "I know we were all trained to shoot anything in our way, but use your head!"

"Please," he continued, "there are o_nly_ scientists in that bloody facility? This is code RED! And I don't think that there are terrorists attacking."

"We'll find out, one way or another," said one of the marines.

The helicopter shook a little, shaking all who were inside. The pilot's voice crackled into focus over the radio. "Alright, this is it! We are dropping you right down—"

The rest of his sentence was muffled by the shifting of equipment and weapons. Ubel carefully placed his rifle on his lap, and threw a parachute pack over his shoulders.

A soft click, barely audible over the whir of the rotors, drew their attention. The general, his parachute ready, cleared his throat. "Okay!" He yelled, hoping the others could hear him. "Once we land we will regroup at the closest entrance. Alright, get ready to jump!"

A rumbling, unnatural from the helicopter's shaking, abruptly occurred. General Pierce grabbed onto a safety handle, and peered out into the sky. The other marines followed. A dark figure whizzed by their plane, startling the bunch.

"We have multiple unidentified aircraft," the pilot warned. "I don't want to hang around here too long."

Ubel raised an eyebrow. "What the devil? I thought we were here to _investigate_, not to start a war!"

The general responded, "My guess is as good as yours, soldier. I have my orders to investigate, not to—"

The helicopter shook, and briefly started to dip dangerously low. "We are under fire! Repeat; UNDER FIRE!"

Remaining solid and calm, Pierce looked way down to the desert floor at their destination. "Chutes ready! Don't fire at anything unless it shoots at you FIRST."

With that, he leapt out and began to descend into the desert. Another marine stood, and followed his path. "Hey buddy," Ubel shouted, even though they were a few feet apart. "Try not to get shot up." He ran and jumped out of the helicopter, and was followed by two soldiers.

_I'm last_, Sergeant Houghton thought.

Suddenly, the aircraft was shaken, and started to smoke. "HOUGHTON! Get off this thing, we are going down!" The flyer shouted from the cockpit. Metallic projectiles zipped past the open sides, confirming the area as a battle zone. He briefly questioned if it was safe to jump down or not, but realized the obvious answer.

Hesitant, he looked outward at the blue sky, peppered with explosions. Then the view changed, and light was funneled into a greenish cone. He blinked, and then a huge black figure had appeared, 'staring' at him. Shocked and horrified, he instinctively started taking steps backwards.

_What on Earth?_

The sergeant took another back step, but there was nothing under his foot to support it. Still staring up at the entity, he tumbled out of the helicopter, and watched a pair of projectiles fly out of it. They collided with the chopper, immediately destroying it. It exploded in a ball of flame and molten metal with such horrifying efficiency it shocked even the trained marine.

Returning to full consciousness, he twisted and turned, incredibly grateful he had his parachute on his back, and looked at the approaching sand.

"HOUGHTON, PULL YOUR RIPCORD!" The general's voice echoed in his skull through his ear radio.

He reached and fumbled behind his back until he grabbed hold of it. He hastily yanked it and a satisfying unfurling sound erupted behind him. His descent was quickly, drastically slowed as the parachute caught the wind. Looking down, however, the marine saw the ground still quickly approaching. Cursing at his mistake, he braced for a sudden impact.

Sergeant Houghton landed with a jarring thud, but quickly scrambled to his feet. He threw off his collapsing parachute. He grabbed his rifle off his back, and crouched into a sprint. He heard a crackling and chopping behind, and _above_ him. Without turning around, he realized the helicopter had taken a direct plunge downward.

As it collided with the ground, he ducked his head down in safety, and continued running. The explosion ruffled his short brown hair slightly.

He looked ahead, and saw that General Pierce and his fellow marines had already set up a makeshift camp. As he approached it, he heard him barking orders into the radio.

"Command, what the devil are these things? They're killing my men!" The general was good at acting calm in even the most stressful situations, but his fear of the anomalies was seeping through.

An African soldier sprinted across the pavement in the parking lot they had landed in, shooting his rifle up into the air. "AH! DIE!" He almost screamed, his eyes wide open with fear.

A smaller anomaly swooped down, and charged at him. He aimed and fired at it, but it fired back. A single metallic object was ejected out of the front, and hit the marine dead center. A second before, he realized his mistake, boisterously growling, "Oh shi—" before he was instantly incinerated into a burning heap, which crumpled onto the ground.

Pierce saw the event, and shouted into the microphone. "They possess advanced weapons, uh, and they are appearing from absolutely NOWHERE. Orders command?"

"Continue with your mission," command sternly replied. "We are getting similar reports other places. We will send in reinforcements, however your only objective is to go down into the facility, and find out what is going on. Command, out."

Hanging up the microphone, the general turned his attention to Sergeant Houghton. "OKAY!" He shouted over the chaos. "We are going into the facility, ASAP. It looks like it might be safer down there anyway. Got it?"

"Yes sir!"

Coming up from behind him, Ubel called to the general, "General Pierce, I suggest we head into the facility now."

"That seems to be the plan. Ubel, assemble our forces at the main entrance. I'll meet up with you shortly."

"Yes sir," he hissed sharply, turning away. The general faced Houghton, ducking down slightly. He stared back, completely recovered from the fall. Bits of debris had flown from the helicopter, leaving nasty singes on the back of his neck. He didn't mind. "Don't pull that again, sergeant; you're one of my best," he said once Ubel was out of range. "Anyway, we're going to head down into the facility on my mark. I'm putting you in charge of your team, and I'll take the other."

Saluting him, and starting to move away, he replied, "Yes sir!" However, Pierce stopped him with an arm on his shoulder.

"Control your squad. The scientists are _not _the enemy, and Ubel seems a little too…" he struggled for the right words, but settled with, "trigger happy."

"I understand," Sergeant Houghton paused. "Aren't you coming, sir?"

He took a seat in a metal chair, and fiddled with the radio. "I'll be there in a minute; wait for me."

"Yes sir."

As he moved away, General Pierce spoke into the microphone. "This is General Pierce to all units. I am taking my squad into the facility. Don't hang around here too long; it's getting nasty. Pierce out."

He adjusted the frequency, and continued. "Attention all airborne units; engage the hostile vessels. Repeat; engage at will."

"SIR," One shouted back. "I used all my missiles, and they won't die! THEY WON'T DIE! AH—"

The voice quickly turned to a quiet, deathly static. Another pilot spoke. "He's been shot down! General, shall we order a retreat?"

Disgusted, he replied, "Are you crazy soldier? And have them shooting up your six? No retreat, only reinforcements. Hold them off while I get my squad into the base. Copy?"

Only static answered him. He cussed, loudly, and slammed the microphone onto the thin metal table. Abruptly, a foreign projectile sailed through the air, grazing the top of their fabric 'camp'. It instantly caught fire, crackling under intense heat. Stunned, the general leapt out of his chair and sprinted towards the rest of his squad, away from the burning wreckage.

_That's my cue to leave._

Houghton weaved through a group of advancing soldiers, all shooting in random directions. Seeing a large metal entrance ahead, he assumed it to be his objective. Despite hail of fire and shrapnel from the sky, he continued towards it, resisting the urge to fire his weapon at the nearly invincible foes.

Upon reaching his destination, he flattened his body against the cold metal wall, trying to gain as much cover as he could, along with the other four members of his squad.

"Hey Houghton; I see you made it!" Sergeant Ubel yelled, smiling a wicked grin. Choosing not to respond, he looked out into the sky for any enemies. After a moment or two, he found it more efficient to look for friendly aircraft.

_One…two…three… _The one he was observing was shot down. _Two…_

"What did General Pierce want with you?" A nearby marine asked. Houghton turned his attention to him, trying to hide his fear of the surrounding environment.

"He said I'll lead you and Sergeant Ubel in my squad. Pierce will take the other two."

"You're the boss," he slowly nodded his head. "By the way, Houghton, what do you think is causing all the trouble down there?"

The sergeant raised an eyebrow, wondering if he was trying to lighten the mood. "NO, I mean in the beginning. You know, we got the call _before_ all this happened."

Sergeant Houghton scratched his head. "Got me; I guess we'll find out when we get in that mess. Hope it's safer than up here." Then he turned, facing the arriving general. He put the butt of his rifle on the ground and saluted him. "How shall we go about gaining entrance sir?"

"We can just ring the doorbell," cracked a marine behind Ubel. In response, he elbowed him in the stomach, hard. "I mean, ugh, we can check to see if anyone is at the gate's controls, agh."

"That won't work, soldier," he snapped. Repeating gunfire from afar added to the mood. "We have to blow this door out of its titanium holder. UBEL! How much c-four we got?"

"Not enough, sir," he loudly spoke. "This blast door was designed to resist that stuff."

A humming sound caught everyone's attention. They looked up, and spotted a large hostile craft, with its gun squarely pointed at the six.

"SCATTER!" The general shouted, but they had already begun to do so. They got out of the way just as the projectile was fired. It slammed into the hard metal and melted right through it. The silver blob didn't stop there; it continued onward, disappearing into the darkness of the facility. The troops saw this opening, and quickly sprinted to go through it.

However, Sergeant Houghton hesitated, and gazed up at the strange vessel that had just 'accidentally' given them access to the facility. Waiting, it hovered there, but didn't fire or move. It was waiting for something, but he didn't know what. Then, it was struck by a missile. It instantly turned, and started to fire at the craft that had shot it.

_So it wasn't recharging. Strange_, he thought.

"Come on, soldier!" The general shouted from inside. He quickly joined the others, dropping the mystery.

Leading the way, General Pierce entered into the facility through the molten hole. The others quickly followed, holding their breaths. Sergeant Ubel instinctively lit a red flare, and hurled it into the large open space. With a flickering red glow, it showed stacks of cargo crates and such.

"Alright, Houghton; you take your team and head deeper. We'll secure this position. Nobody leaves without my orders, understood?" The general scanned his small squad.

"YES SIR!" The five said in unison. Then, the very ground beneath them began to rumble and shake. They crouched down, trying to keep their balance. A low pitched rhythmic sound startled them further.

_This whole facility is giving me the creeps…_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Lexine was rudely awakened by a jolt from her suit. Leaning up from the metal floor, she rubbed her aching head. Her eyes were crusted and red, and her legs almost squeaked like hinges after moving them.

"Ugh, how long was I out?"

-Thirty two minutes and fourteen seconds, Lexine. I apologize for waking you up, but it is ideal we head for the surface-

The scientist grudgingly stood, and flexed her back. Opening her eyes fully, she remembered the situation she was in. Images of the test, the strange world, the creatures, and the entire facility slammed into her head.

_So I wasn't dreaming_, she thought.

Looking by her feet, she saw her handgun, lying on the floor. Reaching down to pick it up, she saw something out of place in the control room. Racing over to it, she remembered her friend, recently possessed by the creature she killed; the creature that had ultimately killed him. She looked down at the bloodied figure, unable to move.

_Uh, oh_, she instantly turned away, not wanting to face him. Inching around the body, Lexine made her way to the other end of the room. The metal door slowly opened for her.

-I advise we proceed to the entrance of sector C. If the tram is still there, we can ride it out of here-

_We? It must think of itself as a person too._

Nodding her head, she followed its advice, and started pacing down the hallway. The once pure white lights were flickering, and dim, if not torn out of the ceiling altogether.

Some were torn out of the ceiling.

Lexine took a few more steps through the hallway until it allowed her to turn right. Nervously increasing her speed, she continued onward. A shrill sound filled the air, stopping her in her tracks. A funnel of light was forged in front of her, and spiraled into a green sphere. Then, it collapsed, and a four legged creature landed on the metal floor; another headcrab.

She quickly drew her pistol as it turned around. Using its powerful leg muscles, it jumped upward for her face. She aimed, (with the help of her suit,) and fired twice at its underside just in time, hurtling it in the opposite direction. Strangely enough, it squeaked a dying sound that reminded her of Daffy Duck tumbling down a hill.

-Three shots remaining in current clip-

Stunned, she put her pistol back in its place, saying, "Where, what was that?"

-The creature was unwillingly pulled from Xen by a wormhole. During a resonance cascade natural wormholes are considerably larger and more frequent. As we move further away from C three three A, they will occur less often-

"Any way you can see them coming?" Dr. Stapleton started moving through the hallway again.

-I will do my best-, the suit replied.

Lexine briskly accelerated her pace, wanting more and more to be anywhere else. Her footsteps echoed through the hallway as she made her way through the eerily silent sector. After a few moments she finally had enough, angrily snapping, "Do you have anything to pass the time, suit; any music or something?"

-No music detected on system. Would you like me to patch into Black Mesa's radio system?-

"There is radio all the way down here?" She asked, surprised.

-Topside antennas deliver signals through the facility. Would you like me to see what we can pick up?-

She sighed, trying to loosen her tension. "Sure."

Through her speakers, a voice crackled in and out. "This is…emergency broadcast…urge you to…don't make contact…extremely hostile…"

"Next," she flatly said.

An upbeat pop music, louder than she expected, filled her ears and rattled through her head briefly. Detecting her discomfort, the suit quickly lowered the volume. "Ugh, NEXT!"

Static; her suit automatically switched to the next station. This time, the voice was quite clear. "…experiencing similar events worldwide. Stay away from any strange vehicles you may—"

The radio abruptly went silent. Just as she was about to ask about it, the suit explained, -I lost the radio signal-

"Well, try another."

After a moment, it replied, -No signals found. Possibility of a jammer-

Dr. Stapleton turned a corner, stopped, and then leaned against a wall. "First I create a resonance cascade, and now there's no radio. What a day!" She sarcastically remarked.

-Wait, I am picking up a signal on…military channels. Would you like me to tune in?-

"Sure," she cautiously answered.

"..Pierce to all units. I am taking my squad into the facility. Don't hang—"

-I'm very sorry, that was a secure channel. You aren't allowed to hear that-

"Then how did you—"

-I am equipped with the ability to access any known frequency. The mark five will be more…suited to military needs, if you'll excuse the pun-

She rolled her eyes and continued onward. "Well, wait; what was that about taking a squad into the facility, and on a military channel?"

-My guess is as good as yours. On second thought, my guess is probably ten times better than yours. Nevertheless, I am not informed of the current situation regarding C. A. C. – E.-

She chuckled, "What would I do without you?"

-Technically speaking, the radiation in the chamber would have surely killed you, unless you have lead skin-

Before she could respond to the suit's latest futile attempt to be 'funny', it bleeped, -INCOMING PORTAL!-

Lost for words, she stumbled, "What? Where?"

-Five feet behind your current position in two seconds-

Lexine spun around and reached for her sidearm so quickly, she doubted it was her own reflexes. Just as her suit had calculated, a similar portal opened behind her. However, instead of a small headcrab emerging, a larger, two legged squid like creature fell to the floor.

_I need to make official names for all you guys._

Without taking time to aim, she fired into the general direction of the monster.

BANG, BANG, BANG, click, click.

-Zero bullets remaining in clip. Suggest reloading-

_Stupid, stupid, stupid Lexine! Why didn't you reload before?_

The creature was wounded, but still well alive, and angry. It snarled, and started to charge at her in a lopsided fashion. She quickly fumbled around, trying to get a replacement clip from her suit's magnetized holder while dropping the one in her gun. After finally finding the small button to unload the empty cartridge, she had the other in her left hand, but it was too late.

The creature charged into her legs, first ducking its 'head' downward to get good leverage. It struck her with a mighty force, sending her front flipping over the creature, and onto the hard floor behind it. Her suit struggled to catch her fall without infringing her body's strict range of motion. It did a fair job, but she was still shaken. The bull like creature slowed ahead of her, ready to move in again. With her grip still tight around her weapon, she awkwardly rose again to her feet just as the entity turned around.

Dr. Stapleton loaded the fresh ammo magazine in a rush, and cocked the weapon. The creature growled in an unearthly manner, obviously lacking intelligence about the foe it was up against. She closed one eye and lined up the glowing green iron sights on the weapon, made from a weak radioactive material. She shot the creature directly in the middle of its squid like tentacles, at the front of its body.

It whined pathetically, and then its legs gave out to its sides. It slumped over onto the floor, and stopped moving.

"Got you there!"

-Nice shot-

Lowering her weapon, Lexine chuckled, "What do you think we should name this one?"

-More research needs to be done to see any possible relations to creatures here on Earth-

"No, let's just call it a…eh, a Bullsquid."

-Sounds good enough-

The young scientist put the handgun back on her side, and carefully walked up to, and over the creature. Upon doing so, for a brief moment, she though she saw its tail twitch, but told herself it was just her mind.

She moved through the winding hallways at a good pace now, confident she could face any alien she came up against. Then, she took the opportunity to see where she was. She saw a large desk with a computer monitor, broken on the floor. Another three buttoned mouse lie askew beside it. She quickly realized she was at the entrance to sector C.

_I made it!_

The facility looked different; flickering lights, bodies with unknown wounds littering the floor, and a dimensional rift sweeping through it. Lexine was trying to cope with it as well as she could. Every time it started getting to her, she could consider Dr. Aretino's trick of telling herself that there was nothing down here to fear. Knowing that it was far from the truth, she would chuckle, but then feel guilty for causing the incident in the first place, resulting in his violent death.

-Lexine?-

"What is it?" She answered.

-I have some bad news. Would you like to hear it?-

She grimaced. "No, I'm good." She turned her attention to the blast door, blocking her exit. "Can you get this open?"

After a moment, the large door creaked, and the lower half started to slide downward. One of the reinforcement bars also began to move, but stopped midway. Then a moaning sound was heard throughout the machinery, and a shower of sparks ended its movement.

_Wonderful_, she thought, looking at the narrow opening in which she couldn't possibly fit through.

-There seems to be a mechanical error with the mechanism. Any further attempt to open it could result in activating a safety system, where it would lock itself shut from the inside-

"NO!" She yelled, and looked away from the door. Dr. Stapleton looked back, and then turned around again. "This can't be happening. You mean we're trapped?"

-Calm down!- The suit 'shouted' in an angered tone. –I am looking for another way out-

She drew her pistol. "I found one!" Without thinking, the otherwise brilliant scientist fired two bullets into the door's control mechanism. It sparked and crackled, showing no sign of any help.

Suddenly, against all odds, she heard a creaking. A small sliding sound caught her attention as the metal door began to open once again! The bottom half completely slid into the floor, allowing her a narrow, but very possible, escape.

"What do you say to THAT?" She smiled wide, knowing deep down what a foolish move that was, but she had luck on her side.

The suit took a moment to respond, and finally beeped, -Luck, should never be relied upon. But in this case, we are both very fortunate for your stupid act of desperation-

Lexine rolled her eyes, and went over to the door. She lie flat on her belly, and slowly slid underneath the upper, unmoving section of the blast door. After crossing it, she got up and stood into the airlock.

"Can you get the other door open, or do I have to shoot another panel?" She smirked.

-I will try-

The airlock's lights flickered, and then a white cloud filled the room. For a moment, the young woman held her breath, wondering what the suit had done. Then she remembered it was the simple cleaning mist she had gotten on the way in.

-I got it!- the suit triumphed.

The door in front of her seemed to be working properly, and started to fully open. Dr. Lynn couldn't hide her joy of finally being able to ride the tram out of this nightmare, giggled, and started to anxiously dance around on her feet. When the door clicked into its open position, she ran out of the airlock as fast as she could onto the metal platform. Then she stopped dead in her tracks. Her smile sank off her face, and her body began to quiver.

_It's gone._

-I wanted to tell you sooner, Lexine. As soon as I got into proximity of the docking station, I was informed that the tram docked at this station had left the facility about half an hour ago. Some of the scientists evacuated, while others…weren't so lucky. If you can wait, I will try and find another-

Lexine didn't even hear the suit's voice. All she saw was an empty black void where the tram was; where the tram should be. Slowly, she sank to her knees, looking at the electrified rail where her salvation could have been waiting. "We're going to die down here," she whimpered.

She wasn't sad or angry, but an overwhelming sensation of absolute fear filled her. She blinked, and drew a shaky breath. "There's no way out."

-I apologize once again. There are no trams at _all_ in range of this station. I will find another way, don't worry-

"We're all going to die, and it's all my fault."

-No it isn't, Lexine! Even I didn't see this coming!-

The suit frantically searched the sector C's schematics, looking for any possible means of escape. Dr. Stapleton was completely overwhelmed, and couldn't seem to do anything but sit on the ground and shake.

"There's no hope of being rescued, is there?"

The suit didn't want to respond, as it calculated that if a cleanup team would come down into the facility and find her, they would do quite the opposite of rescue her. Instead, it studied its surroundings, not giving up like its occupant was. Then, it found something.

-Lexine-

"What?" She sniffed.

-I found an air duct that leads to an adjoining sector. It is accessible from this room-

"Point," Lexine lazily sobbed. Her suit lifted her arm, and pointed it right of the platform. She turned her teary eyed head towards where 'she' was pointing, and sure enough, saw an air duct. Its grill was detached, and dangling at an angle, slightly swaying back and forth.

She sat up. "You expect me to go into THERE? There's obviously a monster waiting to silently devour me. I'd rather die peacefully right here."

-I scanned it. There are no hostile life forms present in the air system. At least not this one-

"And you expect me to jump?"

-No,- her suit proudly replied, -I expect you to trust _me_ to jump-

Lexine swallowed, and took a deep breath. "Well, um, let me see."

The fragile girl stood to her feet, and examined the air duct. It was a good distance away from the edge of the catwalk. The catwalk itself had a four foot high railing that could easily be climbed, but jumped off of, she didn't think so.

-Shall we?-

"Are you sure you can jump it?" She questioned, almost wanting the suit to say 'no'.

-Positive. I need your initiative, however-

Lexine rubbed her eyes with her gloved hands, considering her options. Die here silently, albeit slowly, fall to a quick, probably painful death, or miraculously make it into the vent of doom.

-Given that you only want to stay here and weep until death, even if you miss the vent, you won't be going downhill from here. No pun intended-

"Fine," she yelled. She fixed here eyes on the vent ahead of her, ready to leap. She took a step backwards, and then sprinted straight ahead at full speed. Right before reaching the railing, her suit bent her legs and forced her into the air. She was launched a good five feet from the ground, before her booted feet made contact with the _top_ of the metal handrail. Using momentum, the H. E. V. waited until she had fallen to the perfect angle before jumping again, sending her directly towards the air duct.

Below her, Dr. Stapleton saw a deep dark emptiness that seemed to go on forever. Choosing to look ahead, she saw her target, a small air duct, no more than two feet by two feet in size, rapidly approach her. Her body started to dip a small amount just before she crashed into the solid wall. Her head slammed against the grate, briefly knocking her out. Thankfully, at that point the suit was in control. It moved her fingers around the edge of the vent, getting a good grip before she could slide off.

"Ugh," Lexine mumbled, squinting her eyes. "We made it."

With the help of her suit, she hoisted herself up into the shaft, and pulled her legs in behind her. The narrow tunnel was pitch black, but she knew it was too late to turn back. Arm over arm, the shaken scientist began to crawl through the duct.

Her suit sensed the lack of light, and switched on a flashlight attached in her suit's collar. It cast a straight beam into the passage she was moving through. Suddenly, she started to feel queasy. Her head began to ache, and she knew what a terrible mistake she had just made.

_I'm claustrophobic._

"Suit! I need to get out of here, NOW," she strained, as her heart rate accelerated.

-Settle down, Lexine. This air shaft doesn't go on much further. Shall I administer anti-phobic drugs?-

She started to sweat, and shakily moved faster. "N-no! They're bad!"

Now almost frantic, she began to exert more energy than was necessary. She kicked her feet and clawed at the metal duct trying to move faster. Up ahead, she saw a gentle bend in the shaft, and followed it.

"I have to get out of here!" She squeaked with anxiety. Her suit was well aware of the situation, and even though its user had prohibited it, it would administer the appropriate drugs if the situation got too out of hand.

Up ahead, Lexine saw a faint light not coming from the suit's light source. She moved faster, or at least tried to move faster, to get back into the open. As she cleared the turn, she clearly spotted the end of the tunnel. Surprisingly enough, the grill was removed from this end also. Although she was too nervous to notice, the suit did take into account that someone, or something, had gone through here.

"YES!" Dr. Stapleton exclaimed as she flopped out of the vent and onto the floor. The room she was now in was well lit, and didn't look as bad as Sector C. She lay on her back, catching her breath, and stared up into a ceiling light.

_There's nothing down here to fear. There's nothing down here to fear. There's nothing down here to fear._

-Don't pull that off again, Lexine. One more minute and you could have had a heart attack-

"You suggested going in the duct," she rolled over onto her side, starting to calm down.

-You denied me to use life saving drugs. I would have if I needed to, but any damage could be irreparable-

The claustrophobic individual ignored the suit's comment, and closed her eyes. The previous experience had taken a lot of energy out of her, and now all she wanted to do was sleep. Her suit would look out for her. Nothing would happen. She would be fine. No worries.

-LEXINE!-

Jolted out of her sleepy state, she snapped, "What!?"

-You're starting to fall asleep! We need to keep moving-

She sat up, and rubbed her face. "Oh, give it a rest. Give ME a rest. Can't you just set up a perimeter or something?"

Almost annoyed, it responded, -If we don't get out of here NOW, something will find us. Now do you want to take a nap while I stay on guard for anyone to come, losing hours of time, or are we going to get out of here while we can?-

"Well, I guess you know best." Lexine stood up, and looked around. She was in the middle of a hallway, and both ends looked identical. No identification stripes on the wall either. She felt like a rat in a maze, only the rat was the scientist. Observing and studying things far greater than it could ever imagine.

"Which way do you think I, uh, we should go?"

-Going left would lead us closer to the surface, but I my sensors indicate another worker is to the right. It's your call-

_Someone's alive?_

"By all means, we should go right!" She came back to full alertness, and started jogging in the appropriate direction. "How far away is he, or she?"

-_He_ is just around the corner-

Up ahead of her, she saw a pair of red doors, obviously much less advanced than the ones in sector C. Lexine burst through them into a small lounge. It had couches and vending machines, but many were overturned or broken.

"WHO ARE YOU?" A surprised voice shouted. A scientist threw his arm over the back of a sofa, holding a small pistol. He then saw Lexine, and lowered the weapon.

"Dr. Meijer?" She inched closer to him.

"Sorry for the scare," Dr. Meijer said. "Wait, Stapleton? What, how are you here?"

"What do you mean?" She asked, confused.

"When you pushed the sample into the energy beam, I couldn't stabilize the rift. I yelled at you to move away, but then it sucked you in," he explained. "You're sure lucky to be in that H. E. V."

"How did you get out of sector C?" Lexine took a seat on the couch. The other scientist climbed over it, and sat down beside her.

"I'll start from the top. When you created the rift, it somehow sucked you in. That's odd, because of all the matter around it, it somehow favored you. I wanted to get out of here as fast as I could, but Dr. Aretino was certain you would return, so he stayed behind. By the way, where is he?"

She gulped. "He was attacked by a creature before I was returned. I was forced to shoot him."

"WHAT?"

"The creature was controlling him!" She desperately explained. "I shot the creature and then he died."

Dr. Meijer bowed his head, and paused for a moment. "I understand. Well, anyway, a lot of people had come down here to watch the experiment unfold. After we created a resonance cascade, they all packed into the tram and took off. Of course, this left a good deal of us behind."

"Wait," Lexine was beginning to put together pieces of the puzzle. "Did you climb through the air ducts?"

"Yeah, it was the only way out!"

"How? I barely made the jump with my suit," she replied.

Struggling to find the right words, he said, "We sort of…made a bridge; of people. I got the idea out of the employee handbook. I climbed into the vent, along with Dr. Thomson, but then some sort of creature attacked them. Not sure what it was, but it dragged all of them down into the depths of, honestly I don't know. But anyway, we were the only two who made it."

"Then where is Dr. Thomson now?"

He scratched his white beard. "Dr. Thomson went left after we got out of the vent. Down that way is a security station, and he's been trying to find the best way out of this labyrinth. But now that we have you and your suit, we will have no problem with that, now will we?"

Dr. Stapleton stood up. "I still don't understand why I was teleported out of Black Mesa for that brief amount of time."

Dr. Meijer also got up, and began pacing around the room. "I'm fascinated. Tell me what you saw."

"Well, I was thrown out of travel on a small rock. It was floating in an airless void somewhere. Then, I was teleported to a cup shaped rock with a liquid in it."

"Did you have your suit analyze it?"

"I tried to, but after I came back here, the sample was lost."

He nodded his head. "I see. Continue."

"My third and final destination wasn't in Xen at all. I was in deep space, and I think I found an advanced alien race."

"Really?"

"Yeah, they had spaceships and everything. I took a picture of one, if you'd like to see it."

-In order to download any pictures, I must be linked to a control panel-

"Wait a minute," Dr. Meijer questioned. "If you say that your third stop was outside Xen, and then you came back to our universe, that means you weren't in either place before."

"Your point being…"

"Impossible. There is no way you could have been in another universe and come back unless a _two way_ link was formed. In other words, the only way what you are telling me is possible, is if your aliens had a sector C on their ship. And that still doesn't explain why you were kept being pulled through the dimensions."

Trying to change the subject, Lexine chuckled, "At least we proved the string theory."

"PROVED THE— we have NO IDEA what we have done. We—" He stopped as Lexine doubled over laughing. "How can you laugh at a time like this?"

"I was being sarcastic," she said. It felt good to laugh, like her worries were taking a break. Dr. Meijer rolled his eyes, and continued contemplating the situation they were in.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"GLaDOS, I need you to open this door for me," Oswald said to the closed, circular door.

There was no reply.

"GLaDOS," he repeated, "open the door leading to the surface access stairwell."

Silence greeted the two once again. "Oswald, GLaDOS might be shut down," stated Sarah.

"Impossible," he argued. "You just can't shut down a supercomputer of that size easily. There's still power in the facility, so I wonder what's up."

Oswald rubbed his eyes, pondering another escape route. "Wait!" Sarah exclaimed, pressing her ear to the door.

"What?" Mr. Colek had no idea where she was going.

"Quiet, just listen," she whispered, motioning him over to the door also. Sure enough, the two heard a soft squeaking of metal, followed by two clicks.

_This isn't the door; they're silent until opening_, Oswald thought.

The whirr of a motor and another click came after. The two were so silent they could hear each others' heartbeat. "You think—"

Sarah's quiet voice was cut off as the door opened suddenly. Between the two, a thin red laser was spotted by Oswald's keen eyes. He quickly followed it to the source; a three legged egg shaped sentry positioned a few meters from the door. Almost in slow motion, he threw his entire body at Sarah, forcing her out of the doorway.

-I see you-

The sides of the turret came away from the base, revealing a pair of guns, following the laser beam. They tracked the two and fired upon them. Oswald pushed Sarah into a small space away from the doorway, and squeezed in for the same protection.

"Whoa, what is that?" Sarah screamed.

"It's a, ah, turret. It's a bloody sentry gun!"

Oswald clutched his right leg in pain, and blood oozed from the thigh.

-Gotcha- The turret squeaked in a childlike voice.

"You're hit!" Sarah worriedly inspected the wound on his leg. The projectile had pierced his upper thigh muscle, and traveled clean out the other side.

"I'm fine," he grunted.

"What are these turrets doing here anyway?" She eyed the red beam, scanning the doorway for the two. It seemed to give up and snap forward again.

"They're GLaDOS's defense mechanism," Oswald strained. "We use them in case of intruders, in combat simulations, and even in some test chambers."

"Someone could get killed by one of those things," Sarah brushed hair away from her sweating face.

"I'm just here to warn new workers about those things. I didn't put them here, and I don't have the power to take them out." Oswald winced and he tried to move his wounded appendage.

Sarah tried to comfort him. "Okay, we need to find another way around. We can just inch against the wall until—"

"No," he shook his head. "This is the only way to the surface; we have to go through this door."

"But the—"

"I have a plan," he interrupted. "I am going to move to the other side of the door, and you will run to the turret. As soon as you get there, just push it over and then worry about me."

Sarah looked at him blankly. "You'll be fine," he persuaded. "I'm the wounded target; it'll track me, not you."

She chose not to argue, and started to stand. Oswald put a hand out to stop her. "If anything happens to me, you have to get out of this facility as fast as you can."

She nodded and moved into position inches from the door. Mr. Colek grunted, but eventually managed to get into a standing position. "Ready?"

Sarah bit her lip, ready as she would ever be. "GO!" Oswald yelled, stumbling into the hallway.

-Friend- The turret beeped, readying its guns. Sarah ran as fast as she could through the door and at the turret. Like he had said, the turret had its beam fixed on the limping employee; not her. She reached the turret, and shoved at its side with all her might. It was fairly heavy, but tippy.

-Whoa, HELP- It said, as it fell on its side. The next thing Sarah didn't see coming. Its guns spun around, firing in all directions. She kicked it to the wall, as it peppered the concrete surface with bullets. Her mouth hung open as she realized how close it had come to killing her friend.

"Sarah," Oswald softly moaned, lying on the cold, hard floor. Thankfully, he had not been hit again, but his leg still had a hole through it. She ran over to him, and helped him to get on his feet. With their arms locked behind their shoulders, they began moving once again.

"You said that they had turrets in some of the chambers, didn't you?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, so?"

"Well," she replied, "how do they take them down? You know, how do the test subjects get around them?"

"Oh, it's easy," Oswald slowly explained. "They usually make a portal right under their feet, and the poor turret gets thrown halfway across the chamber," he smiled. "The subjects really dent things up, but I guess I don't blame them."

"It would be easier if _we_ had a portal gun," Sarah said as they approached the stairwell. She used her free hand to open the standard metal door, and started towards the upward flight, winding upward with no end in sight. Such a sight made Sarah doubt her ability to support Oswald the entire way up. However, Oswald abruptly stopped.

"That's a good idea! The portal guns are located on a lower level, come on!" He pulled her away from the flight going up, and started downwards deeper into the facility.

"Ugh, more stairs?" Sarah joked, lightening the mood.

*****

GLaDOS watched in horror from a security camera as the two nearly avoided death.

_I didn't deploy that turret_, she thought.

The supercomputer opened the log of all the recently deployed turrets. Sure enough, that one had her signature on it. Confused, she tried to connect to her cores, wondering if they were the problem.

They didn't respond, as if they had all been shut down.

GLaDOS attempted to speak to the two employees, but her communication systems had been shut down also. She was a mind, trapped in the shell of a supercomputer.

_But then how did the turret deploy if I was disabled?_

She tried to connect to an outside source, looking for a hacker of some sort. She instantly found another mind, another computer, fiddling with her inner workings. She attempted to shut it down, but couldn't even breach the first firewall. It sensed that, and proceeded to take control of Aperture Science's supercomputer, without breaching a single firewall or security system. It was as if the hacker was stealing from a safe in Flatland. GLaDOS quickly lost control with all of remaining her systems, ending with her computerized mind itself. In an instant, her entire system went blank.

*****

"Here we go," Sarah carefully set her guide on a chair, trying not to injure him further. Oswald shifted, examining his leg. She looked around, not wanting to think about how far they had gone underground to reach this place. There were numerous computers at desks dotted around the room, and crates packed into storage rooms full of parts and devices for the facility.

Oswald moved the swivel chair over to a desk with a computer, and began logging in. "Is this where the portal guns are located?" Miss Palmer asked.

"And everything else," Mr. Colek replied, not taking his attention off the orange screen. "I only hope there will be one here. We only assemble a portal gun just before it is used, then destroy it afterwards."

"Well, is there one here?" She asked.

"That's what I'm trying to find out," he said, hunched over the keyboard. "And while I'm at it, I'm going to do a maintenance check on GLaDOS. She's been acting awfully strange lately."

"Like deploying a turret behind a door isn't strange?" Sarah opened an ajar door, examining the storage crates behind it.

"Okay, here we go," Oswald gleefully shouted. Sarah walked over to him, and looked at his computer screen.

"Well, GLaDOS was telling the truth about the cores, but I didn't expect all five to be shut down," he worriedly added.

"What about the portal gun that could help us get out of here?"

"I'm looking," he replied, still bothered by his leg. As all the contents of the boxes in the storage room they were currently in flew across the screen, he visually scanned for the portal gun. As he had expected, he saw nothing pertaining to it.

Sarah turned her attention away, and towards the center of the room. Atop a metal podium rested a strange looking device, encased in glass. The soft orange lights reflected off it, drawing her to it. "Hey Oswald?"

"Sorry Sarah, I didn't find it. Looks like we're—"

"What is this?" She pointed to the glistening object.

"Oh that," Oswald briskly wheeled over to the podium, using his good leg. "That's the prototype portal gun; the first one we made."

Sarah chuckled, "Well, can't we use it? I haven't seen anyone around that would complain about it."

"That's the thing, Sarah. Look around! There are supposed to be PEOPLE in this facility," Oswald exclaimed, "and we haven't seen a soul lately! What's going on?"

"I don't know," she massaged her scalp. "But if this thing is to be of any use to us, we had better use it."

Mr. Colek sadly shook his head. "The prototype can't make portals; never could. We keep it for sentimental purposes; a reminder of the old days."

She frowned, and turned away. "So we came down here for nothing?"

"No," he supported, "I initiated a full system scan of GLaDOS. We can get to the bottom of this right now."

Then, something clicked in Sarah's mind. "Wait a minute; you said that there were portal guns down here?"

Oswald innocently shrugged in an attempt to avoid any conflict.

"You knew there wasn't anything of use down here, all you want to do is preserve your precious super computer!"

Mr. Colek started to stand in defense, but had to sit back down in pain. "Come on! Are you still complaining about stairs? I'm the one with a hole in my leg!"

"Listen," Sarah snarled, "I don't care about stairs, and I don't care about GLaDOS. I want to get out of here, _now._ Who cares what's wrong with a hunk of computer parts that talks?"

"You take that back!" He shouted, surprised at his own connection to a computer that was only 'arguably' alive.

"It tried to kill us, so what? We were almost out of here when you had to drag me down here to check up on it," she made fits with her hands.

Oswald, equally angry at her stupidity yelled, "For one, GLaDOS is not an 'it', but a 'she'. Second of all, 'she' is the problem here, and if we don't figure out what that problem is, we all will regret it."

She threw her hands above her head. "WHY WE? Why do we have to be the heroes, why do we have to save the day? Why is it our responsibility to try and fix something we didn't break?"

"Because, if we don't fix her, nobody will, and there is a good reason we need to fix her!"

"Why?" She asked, trying to relax.

"BECAUSE," Oswald hastily wheeled over to his computer, and brought up GLaDOS's core status screen, "because if we don't find out what's wrong with her, we all die. You know where this facility is located; right by a major city populace, filled with lots of men and women, and children. And you know what this is?" He pointed to the screen, and glared at Sarah. She rolled her eyes, and looked at the figure.

"This is GLaDOS's sixth core. You're not supposed to know what it is, so I was never planning on telling you."

As realization struck her, Sarah put her hand over her mouth in shock and horror, and schematics of the core appeared on the screen.

"That's right, Miss Palmer," Oswald leaned back in his chair, satisfied with her reaction. "It's a nuclear warhead; big enough to take out this entire facility, and anyone nearby watching."

Her eyes widened, as she agreed with his reasoning. If they didn't figure out what was wrong with GLaDOS quick, they would all soon be in a big crater. "It can't be," she whispered.

"It is," Oswald rubbed her back, trying to soothe her. "But we can stop it. I need you to work with me, and to trust me."

She slowly nodded, and stepped back. "What do I need to do?"

"Go over to the prototype, and on the side of the podium, you'll find a console. The password is—"

"I thought you said it didn't work?" She questioned.

Oswald explained, "I never said it doesn't work, I just said it doesn't make portals. It can still make a hole in the wall, though."

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "It can make a hole in the wall?"

"The literal kind," he smiled. "Now, the password is SKCUSASEMKCALB."

She moved over to the podium, and sure enough, a small console was located on the side. She started to punch in the first few letters, but stopped. "What was it again?"

Oswald slowly told her the letters as she entered them. Upon completing the sequence, she asked, "How do you remember that so easily?"

"You'll figure it out," he said, smiling.

Sarah looked at the string of letters, confused. Then she smiled and let out a chuckle. "Wow," she mumbled, entering the combination. She pressed the enter key, and waited for something to happen.

The glass case surrounding the device rose on thin metal poles, revealing it. The prototype looked nothing like the portal gun she saw; this one had a trigger and handle like it was a weapon, not a tool. "Go ahead," Oswald said from across the room. Sarah picked up the sleek device and inspected it.

Oswald winced, and shakily stood from his chair. "We aren't going to go back up the stairs. We're going straight to GLaDOS's control chamber, and then we're going to pull the plug."

He counted concrete tiles on the wall, and then pointed to one. "There, shoot that one. It'll lead to the adjacent hallway and one step closer to control."

Sarah aimed the gun at the wall, and slowly pulled the trigger. A small, blue and orange orb flew out of the nozzle, sending a small shock of recoil up her arm. The bolt of portal energy impacted the wall. An oval shape was formed, signifying the basis of a portal, but then started to glow unnaturally bright. The pre-portal exploded in a cloud of dust, leaving a perfect hole in the wall – and no debris.

"How did it do that?" Sarah looked at the device in wonder, imagining its capabilities.

"That's what we said when we first tried it out," Oswald looked at the impressive hole left in the wall, and then back at the expression on her face. "The device has way too much power. Instead of creating an interdimensional portal, it tears apart whatever it touches."

"Wow," Sarah commented as she cautiously followed him through the hole.

"We figured that we had better not just hand it out to the military, however," he commented. "I couldn't image what it would do to a human being."

"But we won't be using it on anything living, right?"

"Just be careful with that thing." Oswald limped through the opening, and she followed him.

-There you are- A squeaky voice sounded through the poorly lit hallway.

Sarah turned her attention to another turret, strategically positioned at the end of the corridor they were in. This hallway was nothing like the ones on the upper floors. It was all metal and poorly lit, with pipes and hissing machines behind grills of metal. She aimed the device at the turret, and fired. Another portal bolt struck the turret, and disintegrated it in a flash of light. Just before disappearing completely, the turret made in incomprehensible sputtering noise. "Way cool!"

Oswald smiled, knowing she liked the device she now wielded. "Come on now, this way."

*****

The hacker looked through GLaDOS's security cameras, observing the two employees' progress. He knew they would make perfect subjects for testing, showing the best attributes of both sexes. But before they could come with him, they would have to pass one more test. The male was wounded, but the female could go through the enrichment center's test chambers. Everything was falling in to place so perfectly, he wondered if anyone was actually trying to stop him and his brothers.

*****

A large, alien craft swooped down from the sky into the battle zone surrounding Black Mesa. Friendly ships easily avoided the mammoth ship, while helicopters and other human vehicles were smashed to bits. It hovered a good thirty feet from the ground, and then dropped something very large. This object flipped through the air, and smashed into an unfortunate squad below. Slowly, the object stood, revealing itself to be another alien creature. However, this one was bigger. It stood a good fifteen feet from the ground, with two massive cannons mounted on either arm.

The creature snarled and hissed and the air, ignoring the gunfire it was receiving. With its hard, orange eyes, it spotted a tank rolling across the lot. It aimed its weapon at it, and fired a large metallic slug. The projectile impacted the tank, and tore straight through it. The remaining molten heap ignited, and exploded, sending fragments in all directions. Satisfied with the destruction, the creature cried out with a series of clicks and screams.

"FIRE!"

Coming up from behind, another tank aimed its large cannon at the back of the impressive creature. It blasted a heavy explosive at it, knocking the creature off its feet. It snarled in anger, getting back up.

The driver put the tank in full reverse, but it was too late. The creature ran over to it, being careful to stomp on as many humans as it could. The alien kicked the tank with its large foot, sending it flying into the sky, despite its size versus the alien's. The fifteen foot monstrosity then fired another slug at the tank, hitting it perfectly. The tank melted under the intense heat, and rained down onto the desert.

High above the scene, a fighter pilot circled his jet around the alien monster. Seeing the powerful weapons on its arms, he decided to take them out first. He primed his missiles to lock onto one of the cannons, swooped down, and fired a particularly powerful explosive warhead.

The missile launched from the jet's underbelly, and struck the alien weapon with an impressive blast. This set off a chain reaction inside the complex, fragile device causing it to rupture and break apart. Bits and pieces fell to the ground, smoking and leaking foreign juices. "One of the entity's weapons is down. Repeat, I took down one of—"

He stopped, looking in shock and horror at the beast, now lurching up into the air for his puny fighter. "Oh, no," he whispered, unable to move or control his fighter.

The alien protruded a sharp, grey, bone like appendage out of its now exposed right arm, and split it into 'fingers'. It grabbed the body of the fighter, and brought it down, along with itself, at least forty feet back to the ground. It landed its large toe nail and foot forcefully on the unfortunate vehicle and pilot, cracking right through the glass shield, crushing the human being. It didn't take long for the fuel tanks to combust, submerging the creature into a fireball that nothing should be able to survive. After a moment or two, it slowly walked out of the fireball, cackling a battle cry into the sky. Even through the explosion of the now totaled aircraft, it took no apparent damage itself, and could still easily reign supreme above the pathetic human machines, despite missing one of its arm cannons. The only difference was, now the creature was angry and growing impatient.

*****

Sarah blasted through a thin metal door, allowing herself and her wounded companion access to GLaDOS's section of the complex. The two stepped through, awed by the computers and terminals lining the wall. Strangely enough, nobody was at them.

"Wait a minute, this isn't the supercomputer," Sarah placed the prototype portal gun on a table.

"I know," Oswald replied, taking a seat at a terminal. "This is where we monitor her. She is in a very large chamber down the hallway."

Nodding her head, Sarah slowly moved about the room as he started to work on the computer. Noticing a blank section of wall between two white protruding parts, she asked what it was.

"That's a portal generator," Oswald answered. "We have them installed at the edges of the facility for better transport, and even in the test chambers for emergency entrance or exit, or even a component of the test itself."

"Hmm," she admired the glowing blue stripe running down the center of the left generator. It pulsed slightly, as if overflowing with energy, waiting to create a portal. "Well if GLaDOS isn't here," she said, almost mesmerized by the blue light, "then shouldn't we be heading that way?"

"Too dangerous." Oswald, like Sarah, didn't take his attention away. "We don't know if her defenses are still operational, her turret deployment system sure is, and besides; everything we need is right here."

He looked through the information on the screen a little more. "That's interesting. It turns out," he reported, "that GLaDOS isn't awake. That is, she's completely shut down."

"Good." Sarah Palmer turned her attention away from the wall device, and walked over to Oswald. "That's one less crazy artificial intelligence we have to worry about."

He shook his head. "We still need to disarm the nuke. I'm rebooting her." He began opening the appropriate control screens and entered a password.

"We have no idea what—"

"She's going to be turned on again and that's final," he strictly said. "GLaDOS is a computer, and computers aren't evil. She's only sick; in a state of disrepair, and it is our obligation to fix her."

Oswald finally got to the reboot screen, hovered the mouse pointer above 'CONFIRM', when suddenly, a voice nearly made him bolt out of his chair.

-WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?- an all too familiar computer voice boomed through the room.

"For crying out loud," Oswald grimaced, "you needn't shout so loud."

"GLaDOS?" Awestruck, Sarah looked at a now active security camera. It rotated, and looked back at her. "You're still offline. How is this possible?"

Oswald shushed her, and began the reboot system. "This isn't GLaDOS," he whispered.

-Of course it is, I am the Generic Life and Disc Operation System, proudly representing-

Mr. Colek cut her off. "We know you're shut down. Who is this?"

The computer stopped talking, and was followed by an amazingly clear, average male voice. "Alright, I am not GLaDOS, but she is under our control. I'll make this simple for you two…"

The man's voice faded into the distance as Oswald turned his attention back to the screen. A single line of text appeared, reading 'ACCESSING EMERGENCY MEMORY RESTORATION BANKS'. After a few moments, more text appeared. 'Mr. Colek, are you alright? Something shut me down and took control of all systems, and I am powerless against it.'

Oswald typed back in a response. 'GLaDOS, there is someone controlling you, he is speaking right now. Try to lie low, as you are running on emergency backup systems.'

'Understood,' she replied.

"… and if you do not agree to these conditions, I will dispatch you this instant and move on to new specimens. You have one minute to decide."

Turning around, Oswald looked at Sarah. "Sorry, what does he want?"

Normally, she would roll her eyes at this moment, but was petrified to the point where she couldn't even do that. "He wants me to go through the 'incredibly convenient', as he puts it, test chambers here."

"NO," he yelled, standing up. "I don't want to see you die an agonizing death in one of those nightmare labyrinths."

Trying to calm him down, she replied, "He promises we will leave the facility immediately after _our_ testing is done ALIVE. If we don't, he'll probably activate the nuke."

He sat back down, and rubbed his scalp.

"Alright, time's up. What will it be?"

"Just who are you anyway?" Oswald angrily yelled up at the ceiling.

"I take that as a 'no'?"

"YES," Sarah corrected, "I'll do it. But first we need to know who you are and why you're doing this."

"You'll find out soon enough," the person said, keeping a steady tone. Oswald turned to his computer screen, looking to GLaDOS for help. 'There are screens in each of the test chamber observatory rooms. I can remain in contact with you, but otherwise, there is little I can do.'

Trying not to attract any attention, he furiously typed into the keyboard. 'Our ultimate goal is to disable the nuclear device planted in your core. If we don't, many people will die.'

'I will do what I can.'

Oswald quickly powered down his machine, and looked to Sarah. "You be careful in there." He slowly stood, and hobbled over to the weapon that had gotten them this far. "I'll take the prototype, but you'll be in control of a fully functional portal gun. Be careful with it, and don't look directly into the end."

She gulped and nodded. Then, the portal generators she had been observing started humming, and buzzed into life. A blue disc swirled into existence on the concrete surface, and snapped into the view of another room. In it, there was an operating chair of some sort, inviting her in. She slowly made her way to the portal, and then stepped into it. It tingled a little as she walked through, until she made it onto the other side. Looking behind her, she saw an orange portal, and through it, her friend. She smiled at waved, but before Oswald could respond, the orange portal squeezed shut.

The new employee, soon to be a test subject, cautiously walked over to, and sat in the leather chair. She felt a hard prick on her neck, before everything went black.

Mr. Colek only saw her begin to wave at him, before the portal shifted to the view of a small viewing room. He limped towards it, and entered the portal. Upon reaching his destination, the portal closed, and he found himself in the observatory for test chamber one. Through the glass, completely transparent only on one side, he saw a glass chamber, surrounded by different pieces if test chamber equipment. On a large overhead monitor, a line of text appeared. 'The first chamber only explains the purpose of the test, and the different obstacles the subject may face.'

Oswald curiously typed a response on a nearby keypad. 'I've always wondered; what is the purpose of these experiments?'

The supercomputer replied, 'Testing human behavior, seeing the different uses of the portal gun, a physical and cognitive ability test, and entertainment. Many of the test subjects are volunteers.'

_Interesting_, he thought. _Very interesting_.

*****

GLaDOS's new controller swept his gaze over the complex control panels that had taken over the supercomputer's mind. Everything was working out so perfectly for him, as if it had all been arranged just for this moment. The only thing that surprised him was how easily he bypassed the security systems of the supercomputer. Their system was designed to digitally block incoming signals attempting to manipulate the main fame. There was no system installed to keep him from physically changing the interrupts of the computer, flipping very large gates between only two options.

The controller was not stupid, however. He knew of the supercomputer's capabilities, if it was still active. That was why it was the first move he made. After doing a quick scan of the capabilities of the machine, he quickly discovered the overpowered nuclear device, ready to be detonated. Such a device would seriously harm the quality of the surrounding earth, but he was careful not to meddle with such unstable human technology. He left the nuke as is, armed and dangerous, with only the hope that the humans wouldn't do anything stupid with it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Once again we urge you to remain calm. If you wish to exit the city, which is now strongly advised, do so in an orderly fashion."

Wilbert looked back at the tiny television in his newly discovered apartment, and then back out the window at the bizarre storm. In the pit of his brain, he felt a slight tinge of a feeling he could not describe. It was like remorse, only he felt bad about nothing, so that couldn't be it. He pondered the feeling, and wondered why it was overpowering the fear of the current situation he was in.

The mind-wiped man turned his gaze over to the screen, with an anchorman summarizing the event, and then to the real thing outside. He heard the swirling of wind high above, combined with the chaos on the streets below.

_What am I going to do?_

Wilbert paced back into the kitchen area where he had left the cell phone. He snatched it from the table, and slid the device into his pocket so he couldn't forget it.

_Could this all be a coincidence_, he pondered, _or am I connected to all this?_

He decided to find out once and for all, and pulled his cell phone out again. He redialed the number that he shouldn't have gotten, and waited for someone to pick up. As soon as the rings stopped, he angrily shouted, "I KNOW this isn't a coincidence. Now you tell me what the devil is going on or I'll give this number out to every face I can't remember!"

He was sure the receiver heard him, though he got no response. He finally decided to give up, and snapped the phone closed.

All of a sudden, the ground seemed to leap out from under his feet, sending his body crashing onto the table. A series of bangs followed, finishing with a low pitched rumble.

Wilbert jerked himself up onto his feet again, and decided to exit the apartment. He stuffed his cell phone, the ring, and the note into his pocket with hope that they could come of use to him. With a little difficulty, he folded up the package of information, and stuffed that in his pocket as well. Just before reaching the door, he stopped and pulled out the ring he had found. Taking a deep breath, he slipped it over his ring finger, and whispered, "I never abandoned you." With that, he bolted out of his room and out the front doors, hoping it would be safer outside.

To his dismay, being inside the apartment was far safer than the outside. Above his head loomed a large metal object, slicing through tall buildings like a razor through an over ripe tomato. Debris rained down, not improving the situation very much.

_What kind of brain surgery did I have?_

*****

Sanchali knew how to conquer anxiety from an intense basketball game, but this was nothing she could have ever imagined.

_First my cat ran away, and then I met up with two very strange strangers, and now a frickin' alien invasion._

"Take these," Rick said, offering her and his crazed partner powerful flashlights. She took hers, amazed by its weight, and clicked the large button on the handle. A bright beam of light shot out of it, illuminating the sidewalk in front of them. Scott turned his on too, holding it in one hand, while the other firmly held his golf club.

Sanchali and Scott were following Rick, and although it was very dark, they knew they weren't traveling in any logical direction. Scott didn't care, he simply swung his golf club from side to side, waiting and wanting to beat something or someone with it. On the other hand, Sanchali was confused and overwhelmed by the situation, reluctant to lead or be lead anywhere.

"Mr. Burcin, where are we going?" She asked, confused.

He started to reply when Scott blurted out, "Hey, what's that white thing?"

Sanchali shined her flashlight into the street, and for a brief instant, saw a white object dart by. It turned the corner up ahead, and traveled right. She picked up her pace, following it. "Ms. Palkia, where are _you_ going?" Rick tried to keep up, but the basketball player was much faster.

She turned the corner and swept her flashlight's beam across the street, searching for what she saw. It was then she spotted a small, white cat, trotting in circles on the right side of the road. Although it had no signs of recognition on it, she knew it was her cat. She knew who it was.

_Snowflake!_

She nearly ran into the street to retrieve her pet, when suddenly she saw a pair of lights speed down the road. From what she could make out in a split second was a dirty pickup truck, with a driver and a passenger flopping around in his seat. Then, even though the truck was _illegally_ in the left lane and well out of the way of her cat, it swerved right, and drove straight across Snowflake, killing it instantly.

It took only a moment for her to respond. She screamed at the truck, "YOU BASTARDS! I'LL KILL YOU!" With all her might, she threw her heavy flashlight at it. Amazingly, it hit something on the back, but only bounced off and went out upon hitting the street. The screeches from the tires slowly faded away as the truck got further and further away. Her two companions finally caught up with her.

"Are you insane, woman?" Rick shook her violently. "Do you have any idea how expensive those flashlights are?"

Scott said nothing, and looked completely unaffected by the sudden incident. Sanchali's mouth hung open, from the abrupt death of her cat combined with the two men's responses. "Come on," Rick grunted, pulling her with him to their destination, wherever that was. Sanchali stumbled behind, unable to think about anything, but revenge.

_I swear I will hunt you two down, whoever you are._

*****

Josh was driving over the speed limit now, but still cautious. The rain of fire from the unknown machines in the sky had finally halted. The city was quiet except for the occasional gunfire, explosion, or other random noise. Kurtiss still held the powerful pistol tightly, ready and willing to use it.

"You sure you know the way?" Kurtiss broke the silence.

Josh shrugged. "I was going to see if he's still at the hospital, or if there is any way to get information on him."

Kurtiss accepted the idea, as it was probably the best. He looked forward, through the remains of the front window. The two yellowish headlights gave out plenty of light to see straight forward a few meters, but that was about it. The road was littered with usual city garbage, but now only more of it.

To the right, the construction worker spotted what looked like a mother and her child, holding hands while walking down the sidewalk. However, the mother had on the outfit of a pediatrician, signifying she was from the hospital. "Hey, slow down, I want to ask if she knows anything." He pointed, even though Josh couldn't take his eyes off the road.

Josh slowed the vehicle down to almost a complete halt, but argued, "I doubt they will know anything, Kurt."

He persisted on asking, leaning out the window, "HEY! Are you from the hospital?"

The woman looked up at Kurtiss. "Yes. Why do you ask?"

_No, did Kurtiss just find someone who knew about Wilbert out of luck?_ Josh thought.

"I was wondering if you knew anything about our friend, Wilbert. He has no memory and—"

"YES!" The woman exclaimed. "I'm Dr. Sarris, I met with him! What do you need to know?"

Kurtiss asked the pediatrician where Wilbert was. She told him the address of his apartment from what she could remember, and then the two went on their way.

"Now that," Kurtiss turned to Josh, "was skill."

Josh rolled his eyes, and adjusted their course to the apartment in which Wilbert should be located.

*****

A garbled voice spoke. "We are assigning you a new objective. We want you to make contact with the aliens, and establish an alliance."

"Why, if I may ask, do you wish to be on good terms with our enemy, and what if they decline?" Another man answered.

Replying in the same tone, he responded, "Such an enemy will surely destroy every military in every country it encounters. The best bet is to ally, then destroy them once we have gained their trust."

"And how long will that take?"

"Preferably after all other countries have fallen."

Knowing that he meant to use the aliens as a path to world domination, he responded, "I'll do my best."

*****

The alien commander opened communications with one of the pilots. "Establish an alliance with some of the humans," it ordered with a language of clicks and pops. "We can get some of them to fight themselves."

The pilot responded in the same tongue, "Yes commander."

Then, it altered the course of its small vessel downward towards street level in the city.

*****

The English teacher and construction worker drove smoothly along in the pickup truck. On the now cooled bumpy pavement, the truck's suspensions had to absorb more shaking from the uneven ground. They approached the final turn to the apartment, when both Josh and Kurtiss saw something blocking their path; large sections of a building had fallen, leaving the area untraversable. "Not to worry," Josh turned the truck the opposite direction, "we can take another path."

Kurtiss nodded his head, when suddenly they felt a thud on the back of the truck. He instantly spun around in case he could see something, but it was simply too dark. "J-Josh, I think there is something on the back," he stuttered.

"Well, what is it?" He asked, curious.

"I don't know," Kurtiss whispered. Then, he heard a small hiss, and a few clucking noises. "There is definitely something back there."

Josh had no idea what to do, so he just kept driving the car. Kurtiss, on the other hand, flung open the glove compartment, and began furiously digging through its contents. In his rush, a few objects fell to the floor of the truck.

More noises were heard from behind. Kurtiss bent down, still frantically searching. "C'mon, where is it?"

Then, part of the truck started to groan. A shrill sound of metal tearing forced the two to look up as the top of the truck was torn away. "FOUND IT!" Kurtiss exclaimed, grasping a small flashlight. He shined the light at whatever was behind him, and found himself face to face with a green, humanoid creature, staring at him with two pupil-less eyes. "AHH!"

Josh, hearing the noise, turned around and saw the creature too. Kurtiss immediately picked up the Desert Eagle, aimed at the creature's face, and fired. Josh was unprepared for the loud noise, and abruptly took his hands off the wheel to cover his ears. Realizing the mistake, he quickly regained control of the truck to avoid crashing into the smoldering remains of another car. Kurtiss was prepared for the noise and recoil, but not this.

The creature was knocked back a little, but it was still alive. "DUDE!"

"What?" Josh anxiously snapped.

"I shot it in the face, AND IT DIDN'T DIE!"

Josh slurred out, "Well shoot it again!"

The creature took a swing at Kurtiss, but he ducked out of the way, and shot again. This shot impacted the creature directly on the eye, however the bullet merely ricocheted off, leaving a modest sized crack.

"Josh, try to shake it off! This…thing won't die," Kurtiss shouted.

The creature's damaged eye rolled halfway back into its head, showing a clean, undamaged surface. Josh, after hearing the two shots, decided that shooting at the creature wasn't the best idea. Josh violently swerved into the left lane. The creature was shaken, but still held to the truck tightly. Kurtiss flopped around in his seat, trying to get a better grip for next time the truck was jostled by a violent force.

Josh, not paying attention to the road, swerved right again, into the adjacent lane. He felt a small bump, but it did nothing to dislodge the creature.

The creature snarled again, showing the two humans that it was very angry. Kurtiss aimed his weapon directly at its eye, and fired another four times. The each shot bounced off, but the fourth shattered the eye completely. He aimed and fired a final directly into its head.

_Let's hope they are designed like us…._

The bullet impacted whatever was inside the creature's head with a squish. It made a single cluck, and began to raise its arm. Then, Kurtiss heard a crack from behind it, as if it was struck by something. The creature finally stopped moving, and fell off the back of the truck.

"Jeeze Kurt, how many bullets did you use?"

He unloaded the current clip, and replaced it. "Only one clip," he replied, proud for killing the entity.

"Those things are expensive," Josh mumbled under his breath.

Kurtiss heard, and replied, "Then let's hope we only need to fight two more of those things."

This made Josh smile, and chuckle a little. Then he returned to his serious self, asking, "You know where we are? That bloody alien or whatever got me distracted enough not to pay attention to where we were going."

"I'll keep my eyes open," Kurtiss reassured. "I'm sure we can figure this out."

*****

Mr. Burcin's eyes darted about, looking for something. He continued leading the two others with him, now obviously to no certain destination. Scott Votow had the only flashlight, (and golf club,) in the group, so he kept it pointing straight ahead for the others. Sanchali spoke not a word, and followed her two acquaintances in a daze.

Rick finally noticed something was wrong, and turned over to her. "Are you alright?"

She said nothing for a moment, and then lightly nodded her head. "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

He knew she was far from 'fine', but that wasn't his main concern at the moment. He looked up and behind him, still searching. The suited man squinted, and saw a tiny light off in the distance. The light slowly got bigger, as the object got closer. "There!"

A small alien vessel swooped down from the sky, and reduced its velocity almost instantly to zero. It hovered for a moment, and then made a soft landing on the ground. Scott raised his club.

"Easy now," Rick put his hand on the weapon, "we don't want to aggravate them if they aren't hostile."

"Aren't hostile!?" Sanchali blurted out. "Are you blind? They—"

She abruptly stopped talking upon seeing movement on one side of the vessel facing the metal surface seemed to become a still liquid, and something began to emerge from it. Slowly, a humanoid creature came forth from the vessel. Its skin looked hard, yet flexible, somewhat like an exoskeleton. It had fingers that looked solid as stone, but they moved as well. It had two pure orange eyes, and stood to an impressive height; equal to that of the basket ball player.

She noticed that it had some sort of blue substance on its 'hands'. It raised the viscous liquid to its mouth, and spread some across where its lips would be. Then, it put the remainder of the substance on each side of its head, presumably where its ears were. It opened its mouth, showing that the substance could stretch, and had formed a thin membrane.

"Greetings," the alien said, in English.

The three were shocked at its ability to speak their language. It sensed that, and explained, "I have on me a translator fluid. It changes vibrations of sound, so my language is turned in to yours as you hear it."

"Can you understand us?" Rick was the first to speak.

"Yes."

"Why have you done this?" Sanchali stepped forward. "Why are you destroying our city; our world!?"

"We are not destroying," it replied, "but rather…renovating. This world is unstable, and we have come to heal it, and to heal a wound you must first cleanse it of…infections."

"By killing us all?" Scott angrily questioned.

"No, why would we do that? It would be a waste to try and help you if it included killing your...humble species off. That is why some of you will be chosen to…help us."

Sanchali was about to protest, when Rick spoke first. "Are we worthy of joining you in your quest for world domi—I mean, world revolution?"

If aliens could smile, that's what it did. "Yes, but I hope it isn't just you three."

"No," Rick, too, smiled, "there are many more of us. I am merely the representative of…us."

"Then it is settled," the alien concluded. "May the Humans and the Luumaothican Empire flourish together!"

The alien wiped the fluid off, and then returned to his ship. Scott and Sanchali watched it take off, while Rick slipped away into the shadows. He flipped open a small black cell phone.

"Is the alliance made?"

"It is done," he replied, putting the phone away.

The alien, as it was maneuvering its ship off the ground, opened communications with the commander. "I have established an alliance with a group of humans."

"Good. May the Luumaothican Empire use them to our advantage," it replied. "I will commence surface delivery immediately; escort them out of the city safely. May the Luumaothican Empire flourish."

"May the Luumaothican Empire flourish," the pilot replied.

*****

Josh and Kurtiss, finally knowing where they were, adjusted their route to Wilbert's apartment. "Hey, Josh?"

"Yeah?"

"You ever wonder," Kurtiss asked, "where these aliens came from? You know, like from another planet in this system?"

"They could have come from anywhere," Josh answered. "Looks like they just appeared, so it's impossible to see where they came from."

"True," Kurtiss said. He had finished cleaning up the contents from the glove compartment, however the previous alien encounter had left his truck roofless. It looked even worse than it did before, but at least it could still get them around.

Josh turned the truck left, careful to avoid any debris hidden by the darkness up ahead. "So you really think that Wilbert is somehow connected to these aliens?"

Kurtiss nodded. "Today is a weird day. When two very weird things happen on the same day, chances are they're connected."

Josh shrugged. "I guess I can agree with that. Once nobody showed up for class a few months ago; the room was practically empty! As it turns out, they had planted a cherry bomb with a slow burning fuse in my file cabinets. I knew something was up, so that's the first place I looked."

"Those file cabinets that important?"

"Oh yeah," Josh said. "They are VERY important. In there are sample essays, rubrics, records, you name it! If that bomb had gone off, it would have been a nightmare trying to put everything back in its place."

Kurtiss looked up. The gargantuan alien ship was still blocking out the sun, and the city was still as dark as a deep cave.

_This is just plain freaky._

"Alright, we're almost there," Josh mumbled, turning the truck onto the final street. Behind them lay the wreckage that had blocked them from taking the previous route. He realized that with the only light directly in front of them, they wouldn't know where the apartment was. "Kurt, may I have the flashlight?"

"It's _can_ I have the flashlight," Kurtiss joked, handing it over to him. With his right hand, Josh shined the flashlight at the buildings to the left of them, sweeping for the apartment. He spotted the correct address on one of them and stopped the car.

"Hey, who's that?" Kurtiss noticed someone sitting on the curb in front of the apartment. The man straightened his back, and looked up.

"I think that's Wilbert," Josh mumbled. He honked the horn and shouted, "HEY! Is that you Wilbert?"

He stood, and trotted over to the pickup truck. "Josh? Kurtiss? Oh, thank goodness you came back for me!"

"Hop in the back," Kurtiss said. Wilbert did so, maneuvering his body around the many tools in the trunk. Because the top of the cabin was missing, he put his arms over the seats to get a good grip. Then, Kurtiss noticed something.

"Is that a ring?"

Wilbert looked at his finger. "Oh, yes. Apparently I am married."

Kurtiss turned to Josh. "You think we should pick up his wife while we're at it? There's enough room—"

"NO!" Josh and Wilbert cut him off at the same time. Wilbert continued, "I called her, and she said she got a divorce for something I did before the surgery. I don't believe her though, but nevertheless she is very far away."

"What surgery?" Josh asked. He put the car back into gear, and started down the route to exit the city.

"I received a package of information at the hospital," Wilbert explained, pulling it out of his pocket. "It says I had a brain surgery that accidentally wiped my memory, but if what you two say is true, then I shouldn't have just been dropped off at a café."

Kurtiss shrugged. "That's a mystery we'll solve later, but for now—"

He was unexpectedly cut off by a loud bang. Another followed, and then another. They repeated in a steady pattern throughout the city. Josh drove faster.

_The quicker we get out of here, the better_, the three thought simultaneously.

*****

"Alright, thanks!" The man in the truck said, just before driving away. Dr. Sarris smiled, as she did every time she helped someone. The small girl she was accompanying sneezed, and wiped her nose with her hand.

"Come on Rachael," she gently tugged on her hand, urging them to keep moving. They quickened their pace, wanting to exit this nightmare as soon as possible.

After about fifteen minutes of walking, they came across a small strip of stores, near the edge of the city. Rachael turned her head, observing the contents inside.

"Come on," Dr. Sarris urged, pulling the small girl away from the windows. Suddenly, they heard a loud bang, followed by a series of bangs. Rachael screamed, and clutched onto the pediatrician. She patted her head in a futile attempt to calm her, while looking around for cover.

Immediately, she spied a jewelry shop with the door busted in a few stores away. Althea rushed herself and the child towards it, as the bangs got louder. "Inside!" She commanded, forcing Rachael in. The jewelry shop was a mess from the inside. Display racks were knocked aside, broken glass littered the floor, and beautiful jewelry hung from the wreckage.

Rachael, forgetting her fear, moved over some of it. She admired the jewels and amulets, reflecting the small amount of light from a fire across the street. "B-be careful," Dr. Sarris moved Rachael away from the broken glass, remembering the amount of patients she had with glass-related injuries.

The doctor cautiously moved over to it, and inspected the source of the movement. She then heard breathing, concluding there was someone underneath the debris. Dr. Sarris grabbed a hold of the display case, and heaved it upright, off the man. Then, she bent down to inspect him.

There was a Asian man, covered in broken glass and jewelry. He was unconscious, but still breathing. His hand was swollen and red, but other than that, he had no other obvious injuries. Althea picked him up, and slid him to a more comfortable area.

The man was heavy; not because of fat, but because of his developed muscles. She shivered to think of what must have brought him down, as it had to have been considerably stronger than him.

"Hey! Look what I found!"

Rachael, holding a necklace with a blue jewel, showed it to Dr. Sarris. "That's beautiful!" She said to the child. Rachael placed it on the ground, and went back over to the pile of wreckage. Althea turned her attention back to the man.

_Now I have two patients to look after_. She smiled.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The Luumaothican commander eyed the intricate controls and monitoring devices on the bridge, taking great pride in his race's power. By hovering its fingers above certain controls, it commanded the large ship to begin launching pods towards the major cities. Immediately after sending the signals from the command bridge, small four legged creatures began to be loaded into specially designed pods for surface bombardment.

*****

Guard Faustine Vernon took a deep breath, holding her pistol upright and close to her head. For nearly a half hour, she had been locked out of the security station where she works. When red lights and alarms started flashing, she knew something was terribly wrong. The door was finally opened by a 'fellow' security guard, possessed by a creature on his head.

Faustine was an African woman around thirty years old, but she knew how to handle herself. Her quick thinking and skill was what got her employed at Black Mesa, and had already saved her life once today. She peeked around the corner, scanning for hostiles, and then quickly pulled her head back into cover as a glob of acid sailed past her helmet.

"Can't get me that easily," the security guard murmured. The two legged creature attacking her from across the hallway spat again, as if it could hit her. The acidic substance hissed and bubbled on the concrete wall, slowly eating away at it.

The guard then quickly looked from around cover, seeing the creature still there. It wasn't very smart, and it took a good one and a half seconds to 'warm up' its spit, which traveled considerably slower than a bullet. She darted into the hallway, and fired twice at the creature. Neither bullet missed, and the entity fell.

She smiled, and then remembered how many shots she had fired.

_Two little ones, this big guy, that possessed scientist…_

"I guess I don't need to reload just yet," she mumbled to herself.

Still holding her sidearm directly in front of her, she proceeded down the hallway. With a single step, the young woman walked right over the creature she had just killed.

Faustine continued through the hallways, looking for a way out of the facility while at the same time searching for survivors. Upon reaching small cargo crate room, her helmet picked up radio chatter. She crouched behind a crate as she heard footsteps in the room.

*****

Sergeant Houghton held his rifle close to his body, ready to bring it out. He led Sergeant Ubel, and the private deeper into the facility.

"See anything?" He asked to his squad. The room was very dark, and all the three could make out is light spilling from beneath a large metal door.

"We should head for that lit room. If anyone's alive down here, they would have flocked there," Ubel suggested. Houghton nodded in response, and led them over to the side of the metal door.

Their flashlights out, they searched for a wheel, or another opening device along the wall. "Sir, I think I found it," the private said, slowly pressing in a yellow button.

-Access granted-, an automated voice was heard from above.

As the door opened, the three spun around, their guns ready. "I didn't know they had an AI down here!" Houghton said with his teeth closed.

"Didn't sound like it," Ubel replied, "more likely just a synthesized voice with only a few words to say."

They turned their attention to the room that they had just opened, and it turned out to be a small cargo room, with conveyers and crates dotted around. The top of a head shakily rose from behind a box.

"Who's there?" a voice pleaded. Ubel smiled.

"We're here to rescue you," Houghton assured.

The man slowly moved from cover, and then saw the three soldiers. Overjoyed at the sight of them, he started moving in their direction. "Oh thank God! I'm saved! Listen there are others—"

Suddenly, Ubel whipped out his assault rifle, and fired a bullet right between the scientist's eyes. He fell to the ground, dead. "UBEL! WHAT THE—"

"He was infected," he cut Sergeant Houghton off. "They all are."

"Who…how can you make that conclusion?" Houghton persisted.

"I don't need a reason, soldier," he glared at him. "I'm in charge of this squad."

"Uh, I thought General Pierce put Houghton in charge," the newest soldier cautiously said. Ubel turned his gun on its side, and fired three bullets into his heart. Houghton flipped out his weapon.

"I am in charge of this operation. I order you to stand down and relinquish your weapon," he sternly said. Ubel moved in close, still holding his rifle.

"No, I am. You are a Sergeant, I am a Sergeant _Major_. Do we have to take you back to boot camp to learn the rank system again?"

Houghton said nothing, and then, "General Pierce—"

"General Pierce isn't here!" Ubel mocked, pushing Houghton away with the tip of his weapon. The safety was still off, but he didn't fire. "If either one of us kills the other, we'll be all alone down here, with the aliens, and the scientists—"

It was Houghton's turn to interrupt. "That scientist was harmless! You are insane!"

Ubel picked up the private's rifle, holding one in either hand. His impressive strength allowed him to do so and still be capable of firing. "Let's move."

Houghton followed a few paces behind, ready to plant a bullet in Ubel's head if he killed anyone else. A smile crept around his lips, as he knew exactly what Houghton would try to do.

Faustine had overheard the whole event, and remained hidden behind the crate for her own safety.

*****

Lexine and Dr. Meijer strode alongside each other as they walked down the hallway that they had entered via the ventilation shaft. "So, you say Dr. Thomson is at the security station up ahead?"

"Yes, he's probably studying schematics for the quickest way out," he answered. "Your suit will make that job a whole lot easier."

Dr. Stapleton looked down at her suit, admiring the lambda symbol on the front. She wondered how she could have ever had a single negative thought about this suit. The fitting sequence had already 'paid off' multiple times that day.

"Alright, just through here," Dr. Meijer went ahead to hold open one of the 'low tech' doors for Lexine. She nodded a thanks, and stepped through, analyzing the room ahead. The hallway branched at the end, going left and right. Straight down was blocked off by a pile of concrete. Sure enough, Dr. Thomson was there at a terminal on the wall, sifting through schematics, looking for a way out of the facility.

He turned around, and began to say, "Dr. Meijer, I seem to have—" then he stopped, seeing Lexine. "D-Dr. Stapleton!"

She smiled, "I made it out."

Dr. Meijer smiled too, correctly guessing the next thing Dr. Thomson would say next.

"Is that H.E.V. causing you any trouble? Should we take it off?"

She rapidly shook her head 'no', making him laugh. "I knew you would like it. People who get to use one always hate the fitting sequence, and then love it afterwards. You're one of the few to see its wide range of capabilities."

Dr. Meijer nodded his head. "It is a powerful suit. The mark four is the most efficient design we could make, there's even a committee of scientists trying to upgrade it, but so far they've failed."

"Wouldn't the military be interested in the H.E.V. for combat purposes?" Lexine asked.

"Yes," Dr. Thomson answered, "they are. The mark five has all the features of the mark four, plus a combat program. The suit will no longer need your permission to move and kill. The government says they will give us quite a large sum of money for these 'super suits'."

Dr. Meijer saw the scared facial expression on Lexine's face. "Don't worry, you won't be 'fit' for a mark five anytime soon, that sector is across the facility."

Lexine relaxed, but Dr. Thomson quickly spoke up. "But the mark five isn't a suit upgrade, just a program upgrade. I can download it at that terminal right there and upload it into your suit right now!"

Dr. Stapleton was silent. She wanted to escape the facility by any means possible, and if it meant killing a few aliens along the way she would do it. But having her suit be changed into a self firing weapon made her queasy. "I'm not sure if I want the mark five upgrade."

-You still have complete user control, Lexine. Tell me to stand down and I will-

"The suit's right," Dr. Meijer agreed. "You still have power over it; you always will. Plus, it will drastically increase our chances we come out alive."

The two experienced scientists went silent, to let Lexine make up her mind. She finally said, "Alright, give the suit the upgrade."

"Excellent," Dr. Thomson smiled, turning over to the terminal on the wall. "The mark five has been tested, but never in field combat. This will be interesting."

After navigating to the master database, he downloaded the mark five program into the local terminal. Then, he sent it to her suit to automatically install. "Alright, Dr. Stapleton! Just wait a few minutes and then your suit will be fully upgraded."

The three went silent, listening to any noises they might hear. Every so often Dr. Thomson would look back at the terminal, and then back around the room. Lexine tapped her fingers against the leg of her suit, growing slightly impatient. Dr. Meijer stroked his short, white beard, and too pondered their current situation.

-Download complete-, a more realistic voice sounded from her suit.

-The mark five hazardous environment combat suit is designed for protection of the user while maximum efficiency on the battlefield-

"Is its memory erased?" Lexine asked to Dr. Thomson.

-No, Lexine-

"Excellent," Dr. Meijer said rubbing his hands together.

Dr. Thomson took a step forward. "I think I calculated the quickest way out. We just need to—"

-Judging from records of you using the terminal, Dr. Thomson, you have not calculated the quickest route to the surface. To start, we are supposed to proceed directly down this hallway, not branch off-

Lexine blushed, as if she was a mother taking the blame for her 'child' interrupting. Dr. Thomson sensed her annoyance, but was thankful that the suit had a better plan, as he questioned his own.

"There's debris blocking the end of this hallway," Dr. Meijer told the suit. It took a moment to respond.

-They are movable-

"Oh, I'd like to see you try," Lexine chuckled at the suit, looking at the large chunks of concrete than a crane might have trouble moving. She suddenly realized the mistake she just made.

_Oh, no._

-Command acknowledged-

Her suit then took off, sprinting down the hallway. When it reached the rocks, it immediately began work. It shoved aside a large boulder in the middle with ease, creating a small hole through which a human could crawl through. Metal pipes and rods blocked it, but that didn't stop the H.E.V. It bent the tubes to the side as if they were made of pipe cleaner. Then, after it had finished the opening, it took a step back and relinquished control. Dr. Meijer and Dr. Thomson were still catching up.

_This suit sure didn't lose its kick!_

The two finally met up with Lexine, breathing heavily.

"You've gotta, you have to watch what you say to that suit," Dr. Thomson said, trying to catch his breath.

"Alright suit," Lexine said, "don't do anything unless someone gives you a _direct_ command, or you see it as absolutely necessary."

-Understood-

Dr. Meijer and Dr. Thomson were too busy admiring the opening that Lexine had made to realize what a fatal hole in the suit's security program that Lexine had just made.

*****

Sergeant Major Ubel, followed closely by Sergeant Houghton, proceeded into the facility. Faustine evaded detection, and shadowed them.

"Houghton, secure this area, and I'll move on ahead," Ubel commanded, quickening his pace. Houghton followed his orders, wanting as much distance from the dangerous soldier as possible. The room he was in looked like an office complex of some sort, with windowed doors systematically placed along the walls.

He thoroughly inspected each of the rooms, finding nothing of interest, until he came to a dark room, with the door broken in. Houghton cautiously slipped inside, and got out his flashlight. After a quick sweep of the room, he spotted a dead two legged creature in the center, and a file cabinet knocked on its side, at an angle. From underneath the cabinet, a small voice was heard.

"Help."

Sergeant Houghton quickly bent down, and lifted the object from the man. He was dressed in a lab coat, with a pair of glasses loosely hanging from his ears. He lifted his head. "You're not here to kill me, are you?" he questioned, as the protocols for C.A.C. – E. fluttered through his mind.

Houghton shook his head. "I'm not; we are just here to investigate. What happened?"

The scientist sat up, correcting his slumped posture and glasses at the same time. "Today was the big day for Sector C's anomalous material lab. Something about a cross dimensional portal being opened was a big concern, so my money's on that."

"Anything else we should know about?" Houghton questioned.

The scientist shrugged. "I don't know much, I just manage some paperwork and mathematics too hard for the others at my computer. I help run some tests, but nothing serious or illegal. Besides," he started to stand, with the soldier helping him to his feet, "I thought you military type knew all about what happens down here, 'cause that's where we get most of our funding."

Houghton shrugged. "I guess that information is reserved for people higher up the ladder than me."

"Listen, uh, sir, I need to get out of here. I don't want to be a problem, but—"

"We've pretty much cleared the way here," he advised. "But on the surface we weren't having much luck. Maybe it will be clear by the time you get there."

"Thanks," the man said, finding the energy to hobble out of the room. Houghton left a short time after, and continued his search of the office complex.

*****

Security guard Vernon quickly and quietly flattened her body against a wall, and peeked around a corner to her right down a hallway. She saw one of the soldiers, all alone, going back in forth into all of the rooms.

_Must be searching for scientists to kill_, she thought to herself.

After a moment or two of waiting for him to exit a room, she began to get suspicious. She tried to tune out all other sounds, such as ventilation or warning sirens, and listened for a gunshot. Faustine heard none, but then saw a man limp out of the door.

She quickly pulled her head back into cover, and waited for the scientist to reach her. Any move she made could alert the scientist to her, and then the soldier to the both of them. Upon the man reaching her, she pressed her fingers to her lips and motioned the scientist over to her.

"Did you meet with that soldier?" she asked in the softest voice she could manage.

He responded more loudly, not understanding the threat. "Yes, he was very kind. Told me he came from direction and that I should exit the same. Why do you ask?"

Faustine lowered her voice even more. "Because I saw one of them shoot a scientist! They had no reason, and he dropped him dead!"

The man's eyes widened. "That's impossible, he said they were only here to investigate!"

"I saw what I saw," she replied.

"Maybe he was a friendly one," the man retorted, standing up for the soldier that had helped him.

"Doubt it," Faustine replied. "Nevertheless, you need to head for the surface. I'm going to keep following them, and see what they're up to."

"Okay," the scientist said, and went on his way. The guard feared that her position had been noticed from the conversation, but after a quick peek around the corner, she saw that the soldier was still checking the rooms. She was still hidden, and that's all that mattered.

*****

After checking the last of the rooms, Sergeant Houghton proceeded ahead. For a brief moment, he wondered if Ubel was waiting in the room ahead to cause an 'accidental death' for him, but quickly abandoned the idea, because as violent as Ubel was, they still had one thing in common. They both needed each other as a teammate if they were going to survive this.

"Ubel, are you there?" He spoke out loud upon entering a larger cargo room. This one had large metal cargo containers, stacked two, three crates high. All were filled with dangerous, unknown, or seemingly useless objects that only Black Mesa would care for.

"Yes," Sergeant Major Ubel hissed, emerging from behind a crate. "This room has no more hostiles."

"No more?" Houghton fearfully asked. Ubel smiled. Just then a blast door at the other end of the room opened, revealing three scientists. One was female, in an orange suit of some sort.

"Looks like we still have hostiles," Ubel said, drawing his assault rifle. Houghton drew his as well, ready and willing to kill Ubel if he murdered any more scientists.

*****

Lexine, Dr. Thomson, and Dr. Meijer, thanks to the help of her new suit, had made it through the wreckage. As instructed by her suit, they proceeded through office complexes, and into the storage branch of the facility.

"Where are we now?" Dr. Thomson asked the suit, hating the fact the he wasn't in control, but loving the fact that his 'creation' was.

-The blast door in front of us leads to a large storage section. Through there is another office complex, more storage, and then surface access-

The suit sent a signal to the door's opening computer, and it creaked into motion. The sheet of brown metal slid into the ceiling, allowing the triplet access to the storage room.

Across the room, Lexine and her suit spotted two people, who they made out as soldiers. Immediately upon them seeing each other, the soldiers drew their weapons.

-MOVE TO COVER- the suit commanded, already taking control of Lexine's movement. The others followed, and quickly lined up against a crate as a hail of bullets barely missed them.

"Why are they shooting at us?" Lexine desperately asked.

The suit responded, -I've been reviewing local security footage. One of the soldiers shot a scientists on sight, with no reason asked. Permission to engage-

The two scientists looked at Lexine, waiting for her to respond. "Engage? I have a pistol and those two have machine guns!"

The suit disengaged its magnetic hold, and the pistol fell to the floor. Dr. Meijer bent down to pick it up.

-Now we are even. Permission to engage-

Dr. Thomson shrugged, "If the suit feels confident, so do I."

"I KNOW YOU'RE THERE!" A soldier shouted from across the room, reloading his weapon.

Lexine's heart rate quickened. She did not want to face two armed soldiers, let alone face anyone in combat. But she knew that if she didn't, they didn't stand a chance. "F-fine, permission to engage, granted."

Immediately, the suit did a number of things. First, it engaged its protective helmet. Second, it injected a variety of chemicals into Lexine's muscles, preventing them from moving or flinching on their own, to prevent any from tearing. Then, the suit bent its, and Dr. Stapleton's legs, and leapt upward. The distance was so great, that it managed to get a hold of the top of the second crate, and hoisted Lexine onto it.

Then, the suit slid across it, maintaining a low profile, and then jumped off it. Sergeant Ubel saw Lexine coming, and somersaulted away from her. Her suit landed her gracefully on the floor, in a cat like position. She stood, and so did Ubel.

He picked up his weapon, and began to fire at Lexine while backing up towards the blast door she had entered by. The H.E.V.C. sprinted at the soldier, calculating which bullet's trajectory it could dodge, and which to deflect in a manner that didn't damage anything. Ubel began to run backwards, awestruck that Lexine was surviving a constant stream of fire from his weapon.

The suit then sent a signal to the door, causing it to slam shut just before Ubel reached it. He slammed into it with his back, slightly disoriented. As Lexine saw herself charge at him with her fists raised, she knew what would happen. She closed her eyes to avoid seeing the carnage.

First, Ubel threw his weapon aside and drew a combat knife. Upon drawing it from its holder, he made an upward slicing motion. Of course, such a blade could not possible damage Lexine's suit, and it only slid across it. The suit grabbed hold of the knife and hand, and violently twisted it. The knife flew aside, and clattered to the floor.

The two other scientists watched in awe, as the suit took on the soldier with ease, as Sergeant Houghton cautiously approached from behind.

After a few blows, and many broken bones, the carnage stopped. Lexine deemed it was safe to open her eyes, and when she did, she found her hands covered in blood. Sergeant Ubel's head was now a pulpy mess all over the blast door, with his body slumped against it. The suit detected her discomfort, and turned around.

Sergeant Houghton saw the female scientist in her suit, with blood all over its front. His former corrupted squad member was quite deceased, and he would also soon be unless he made the right decisions. Lexine, or rather her suit, slowly started approaching him.

He backed, up, and then realized he was still holding his rifle. Going against every military instinct that he had been taught, he threw it to the ground, and held his hand above his head. "Stop, stop, I don't want to hurt anyone!"

The suit retracted its helmet, but only started to move quicker. The soldier saw the incoming threat, and put a hand on his knife. "I wasn't trying to hurt anyone, that was Ubel!"

Lexine, hating violence as much as Houghton feared her, instantly gave her suit an order. "Stop! Do not attack him!"

-Strongly advise against command- the suit responded, releasing control back to Lexine. She wobbled on her feet for a moment as her muscles came back to life.

"It's safe!" she yelled back to the two scientists, inspecting her work on Ubel. They turned their attention away, and met up with her.

"Okay," Sergeant Houghton slowly began. "My squad and I were sent down to investigate. On the surface we were being attacked by strange machines, so we came down here to see what's what. Sergeant Ubel, who you just killed, started shooting scientists. Believe me, I am telling the truth; I mean nobody down here any harm."

-The subject is not lying- the suit reported. The soldier immediately felt relief.

"I admit that I was part of the test that cause all this," Lexine shakily said. "I want to get out of here as much as you do."

Sergeant Houghton saw the other two scientists come up from behind. "I am Dr. Meijer, the test's lead."

"And I am Dr. Thomson, and I am the lead designer of Dr. Stapleton's suit."

"Pleasure to meet the three of you," Houghton said, shaking each of their hands. "Well, shall we proceed to the surface together?"

"You bet!" Dr. Meijer happily agreed, followed by Dr. Thomson's approval. Lexine went along with the three, but said nothing. She could not turn her attention away from the blood, splattered all over her orange suit, and the fact that her hands had just brutally killed a man.

*****

The man in the suit had positioned himself at the administrator's desk, and looked over its many security cameras. After switching one to the storage room feeds, he saw a soldier not attack, but rather team up with two scientists and someone in a very powerful suit. He was furious, but contained his anger. He and his brothers had a backup plan for this, and so did Black Mesa.

Using the administrator's hand, he picked up the Black Phone, and connected to the same source in which C.A.C. – E. would be initiated. Mimicking the administrator's voice, he spoke into it. "This is Black Mesa. We are elevating 'C' 'A' 'C' 'E' to code black."

"Uh, are you sure?"

"Positive," the man replied, shortly before hanging up the phone.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Sarah slowly opened her eyes, and lifted a hand to massage her scalp. Her arm hit a glass surface, restricting its movement. She opened her eyes fully.

_What?_

With her tight range of motion, she saw that she was lying on a small plastic bed, barely big enough for her, with a glass dome over her head. She folded her arm around, keeping it close to her body, in order to rub her aching head.

_What did they give me?_

She then heard a small hiss, and the glass dome split down the center, and retracted into the structure she was on. Slowly sitting up, she took a look at her surroundings, and herself.

Miss Palmer was out of the clothes she had come in with, and was now wearing a single piece orange jumpsuit. It was a little baggy, but otherwise it fit her perfectly.

She swung her legs off the plastic bed, and down onto the ground. The device she was on had a few air tanks on the sides, and a solid structure underneath it, housing support devices. Sarah then looked down, and saw something on her legs.

A metal rod was attached to a ring, and extended to the base of her heel. A ring was firmly attached to each of her legs, right below the knee cap. She tried to twist one, but after feeling an uncomfortable pressure deep inside her bone, she decided it was best to leave them alone.

-Welcome to the Aperture Science subject test chambers- GLaDOS's hacker activated an automated message.

"This is just a ready room, there is no test. The rods attached to your legs are the knee enhancements I mentioned earlier," Oswald spoke through the intercom. "You will be able to survive a fall from almost any height."

Sarah stood, and already noticed its effects. Her body stood upright, completely stable without wobbling even the slightest amount.

-You are currently inside a glass room, from which you will be released from shortly. Around you are examples of test apparatuses you will encounter throughout the test. You may exit the room-

Sarah looked around for a means to escape the small chamber she was in. She was encased in glass on all sides, extending upward. Beneath her was concrete, looking very similar to the ceiling. Then, up above, she saw another portal generator, on the ceiling. It activated, and a blue oval shuddered into existence on the concrete ceiling.

Looking at the floor again, she searched for a second one. Immediately she found a second pair of portal generators, one on either side of her feet. Miss Palmer tried to leap away, but she wasn't fast enough. An orange portal opened beneath her feet, linking to the blue one. She instantly started falling through it, and came out of the blue portal in the ceiling.

Sarah fell through the air, her arms flailing for something to grab onto. Upon reaching the floor, she landed with a thud, wobbled for a moment, but then regained her balance. It was then she noticed that she was still standing upright, and wasn't experiencing any pain.

"Those knee enhancements work wonders," Oswald said. She agreed, and looked around the room.

There were strange looking devices, all encased in large glass boxes lined around the room. In front of each display was a small white pole with a red button atop it, about three feet from the ground. She walked over to the nearest one, and pressed the button.

-In this glass chamber is an Aperture Science Weighted Storage Cube Delivery Shute-

A glass cylinder hung from the ceiling, and a cube dropped into it. It was stopped by a circular shield of some sort, but the shield was then split into four pieces and moved aside. The cube fell onto a large red button, pressing it downward and lighting it up.

-The Storage Cube can be used to activate these Heavy Buttons, along with you standing on them. Buttons and other detection systems can be used to open doors, or activate other testing apparatuses-

Sarah saw that an orange lighted strip led from the button to an illuminated check box on the wall. To the right of it was another strip, stopping without reaching the button. It was blue, and the check box had an 'X' in it as opposed to a check.

Oswald saw her observe the box and button system, and then turned his attention to the screen. He typed, 'What is the probability that Miss Palmer will survive every test chamber?'

'Although nobody has survived the last chamber, only four subjects have made it that far, out of the two thousand, six hundred, seventy one subjects we've had,' GLaDOS responded. 'So, chances of making it that far are miniscule.'

He chewed on his fingernails, hoping that Sarah could beat the odds.

The hacker, too, looked through the test chambers through security cameras, and concluded that it was unlikely that the subject would even see the last chamber. If she did make it, however, the results would be of infinite value to his brothers.

Sarah, down in the test chamber, finished her examination of the cube deployer and button. She moved clockwise to the next display, and looked inside.

A dome shaped device was fixed on the ceiling, aiming a point at a glass dish shaped device on the floor. A blue band came out of the floor device, and led to another lit 'X' in a small square on the wall. She pressed the button.

-This is the Aperture Science Focused Laser and Activation Receiver-

The device on the ceiling activated, and shot a steady red beam straight down, into the dish. The check box on the wall turned orange, and changed to showing a check.

-The beam will pass through portals and does not harm the testing environment. It does, however, easily slice through flesh and clothing, so be careful-

This was the first danger she was alerted to. The glowing beam of light was as useful as it was deadly, and it could open a door to her escape while just as easily slice off a limb. She told herself to be careful.

She moved on to the next glass case. She saw two devices on the sides of the glass, running horizontal, that looked very similar to portal generators. But instead, a bluish field was casted between them, looking somewhat like tiny sparks all sandwiched together. A box dropper was positioned above it.

-The Aperture Science Vaporization Field will disintegrate any solid objects that pass through it, with the exception of you, your clothing, your knee enhancements, and your portal gun. When passing your portal gun through it, any portals it is or could be linked to are instantly closed-

The box dropper dropped a cube from above, and it fell into the field. Upon making contact with it, it turned black, and spark like 'fizzles' came out of it just before it was removed from existence.

_Wonder how that factors into the space-time continuum._

Sarah took into account all she had learned so far, and moved on. The next glass box was identical to the first, except the field emitted was purple.

-The Aperture Science Vaporization Field Two is the same as the first, only everything can pass through it. Active portals will still be neutralized-

To show this, another box fell from the ceiling, and this time passed right through the field with ease. She nodded her head, and moved on.

Upon pressing the red button, she saw that this display was also that of a Vaporization Field, only this one was red.

-The Aperture Science Vaporization Field Three will vaporize any matter that passes through it, including yourself. However, when beams pass through it, they will be lowered in power to the point where they are not harmful to organic matter. They will still activate dishes-

The box dropper above this time dropped a large chunk of _meat_, right into the field. It was vaporized just like the box, and fizzled into nothingness. Sarah moved on.

The next glass box contained an item she had seen before; a sentry gun. After pressing the button, it activated, and began to fire at the glass. Thankfully, it was bullet proof.

-The Aperture Science Automated Sentry Turret will target and shoot at you. Once tipped over, however, they will stop firing-

_After they let loose with a violent spray of bullets_, she added to herself, wondering how many subjects have died due to a turret still aiming at them after being tipped.

-Also, all glass you will find in the testing environment is completely indestructible-

The turret finally deactivated, and its sides slid back into the main structure. Sarah moved on to the next display, and pressed the button.

She looked into this glass case, and saw another turret, but this one had a green laser 'sight' as opposed to a red one. It activated, scanned the area, but did not shoot her.

-This is the Aperture Science Friendly Sentry Turret. It will not shoot you, but it will shoot other hostile turrets until they have tipped over. They can also be commanded to fire at specific targets. Other hostile turrets will shoot it-

Sarah thought about its applications for a moment, and then moved on. She now arrived at the final glass case, separated from the first only by a circular door. She pressed the button, and looked inside.

She saw a small pedestal with a plate on it rise. On top of that plate was a freshly baked peach pie; her favorite. Her stomach grumbled at the very sight of it, and her mouth began to water.

-Upon the successful completion of the final test chamber, you will be delivered into a dining room, open or private to your choice, for a celebratory feast on…PEACH…pie. If you are currently employed here at Aperture Science you will immediately receive a year of your current salary, along with a promotion. Best of luck in the chambers, and remember, if you complete them alive you will be the…FIRST…subject to do so-

The circular door opened, and she saw for the first time, an elevator behind it. Before proceeding into it, however, she looked up to the observation room. "Any last minute advice?"

Oswald heard her ask this through the microphones in the test chamber, and speakers in the observation room. He spoke into the intercom, "There are more things in the chambers you will have to worry about. Be observant, and try not to trap yourself in a room."

She nodded a thanks, and proceeded into the circular elevator. The doors slid shut, and the elevator began its ascent.

Oswald grumbled as he exited the observation room, and painfully made his way to the next one for chamber one.

After no more than ten seconds of travel, the elevator stopped moving with a subtle shake. The doors slid open, and revealed a square hallway that sharply turned left at the end. As Sarah left the elevator, the doors closed behind her, and a large panel lit up on the wall.

A large '01' was at the top, and underneath that was another, smaller number and percentage. She approached it, and read '6'.

-The largest number is the number test chamber, and the smaller number is the amount of test subjects who have died in it-

Sarah gulped, wondering what percent of the total test subjects that was. Thankfully, another number showed that beneath it; about zero point two percent. She figured that the AI had left it up for the subjects to figure it out.

Beneath the numbers were a set of many pictures of stick people, most of which in grey. The two that were in solid black was a picture of a cube falling on someone's head, and a picture of a stick man sleeping, dreaming about a test chamber.

_Whatever that means_

Miss Palmer turned left, and entered the first test chamber. Inside, she saw another cube shaped room. On the right wall was a circular door, which she presumed at the exit, with a blue power strip leading from it, to a nearby heavy button.

On the left side was a box dropper, with a storage cube in the cylinder ready to be dropped. Underneath it was a small button.

_Easy enough_, she thought to herself, wondering how anyone could have died in the chamber.

As Sarah started walking over to the box dropper, Mr. Colek had just entered the observation room. His shot leg was beginning to heal on its own, but it was still throbbing with pain. He fell into a small metal chair, and scooted it over to the window. He had remembered to bring the prototype with him as well, and set it on the table.

Sarah reached the button, and then looked up. She saw that the button was diabolically placed right under the place where the box would drop. If she simply pressed it, a storage cube would fall directly onto her head.

The subject decided to step to the side, and pressed the button from a distance. Just to be safe, she took a step back.

The metal hatch on the dropper opened, and a cube fell to the floor. It landed with a clank, but did no obvious damage to the concrete floor, or itself. Sarah walked over to it, and lifted the item.

She found it not difficult to relocate, but it was slightly heavy. Lifting enough would eventually tire her out. She walked over to the heavy floor button, supported partially by her knee enhancements, and placed the cube on the button. The power strip turned orange, and the door opened. Beyond it, she saw a smaller hallway, a blue particle field, and finally, an elevator.

Feeling slightly proud of herself, she strode through the field and into the elevator. The doors slid shut, and she was lifted on to the next test chamber.

_Ugh, wish she had taken longer_, Oswald stood, and limped over to the door. Before leaving, however, he grabbed the weapon that he had left on the table.

The elevator reached its destination, and the doors briskly opened. Sarah hopped out, and into the short hallway that abruptly turned right.

On the wall was another lighted information box, flickering to life.

_Test chamber two, forty seven deaths, about one point eight percent_, Sarah read to herself.

The same set of grey pictures appeared below, only this time, four were colored black. Another picture representing that cubes would be used, a picture of a laser bouncing off a black line, presumably a mirror, a picture of a stick person being cut in half by a laser, and a picture of a stick person at a school desk, pondering over a picture of a test chamber.

She acknowledged the data, tried to interpret the pictures, and then turned right. After a few steps, she entered a larger room. Against the wall opposite her was a laser emitter, attached to a section of wall protruded by a metal beam with joins. Currently, it was facing at a ninety degree angle left and right walls were mostly concrete, with a single reflective surface taking up an entire concrete 'section'. On the ceiling, there was another mirror panel.

Sarah turned around, and looked at the wall behind her. There were three laser receiving dishes, which she assumed would be able to collect the reflected laser. A small button sat atop a podium underneath one, with a strip running from it to the laser. Each dish had a power strip leading to a box dropper in the ceiling, each holding a box above a heavy button. Each of the three heavy buttons had a power strip leading to a door, with three check boxes beside it.

After analyzing her surroundings, she entered the room, and the small white camera above the entrance began to track her progress. At this time, Oswald was just entering the observation room, and pulled a chair up to the window.

"Be careful in there," he said over the intercom, breathing heavily.

Miss Palmer looked at the location of the mirrors and dishes on the wall. The laser could reflect to reach the two dishes on the side, and the middle dish above the button to activate the laser would not require a mirror at all. She walked over to the button, and pressed it in.

The laser turned forty five degrees left, then activated, sending a red energy beam at the mirror, and then reflecting into the dish. The dish lit up, and so did the power strip leading to the box dropper. A storage cube fell onto the first button, activating the first of three power strips.

_Not bad_

Sarah pressed the button again, and the laser turned another forty five degrees left, now facing straight forward. Once again, it activated, and the same chain of events followed, leaving the puzzles two thirds over.

Oswald watched with fear, as Sarah unknowingly pressed the button a third time. Thankfully, she turned around to watch the laser complete its final motion. However, to her surprise, it angled upward a certain amount of degrees. She looked at the mirror on the ceiling, and saw a perfect reflection of the laser emitter.

"WHOA!" She yelled, leaping away from the button. Just as she did so, the beam activated, and sent a bright stream of laser energy at the mirror, and it reflected downward into the button. It struck it perfectly, without causing any visible harm to it.

Shakily getting up from the floor, she saw that the laser was still active, and had a beam perfectly aimed at the button, not harming it in any way. Then, she smelled burning, and feared the worst.

Cautiously putting a hang to the back of her head, she yelped as she realized that part of her long hair had been singed off. Two thirds of her hair was now barely below her ears, while the other third was unevenly still very long. She sighed, knowing what she had to do.

Sarah slowly approached the still active laser, and grasped the long strands of hair she still had. Very carefully, she moved turned her head and moved her hair through the laser, cutting the long section off, meeting the other short sections. Backing away from the laser, she threw the section of hair to the floor, clenching her teeth.

_Probably just would have gotten tangled in something_, she thought, trying to see the positives.

At that moment, the subject then realized what a grave error she had made. Besides for almost killing herself, the laser was now fixated on the button, making it impossible to press it with any part of her body. She slapped her forehead with her hand.

"Wait, maybe it'll deactivate," she mumbled to herself, trying to regain her confidence.

She looked at the beam, waiting, wishing for it to stop its endless stream of energy. While waiting, she shook her head from side to side, observing how much lighter it felt.

_Maybe I'll keep the haircut_, she pondered, imagining her appearence.

After a few minutes she gave up waiting, and started pacing around the chamber, thinking of other possibilities. Then, a thought hit her. It wasn't her fault that the laser was hitting the button, as even if she saw it coming, it was the only thing the button would make it do. She looked at the button, observing how the laser was not damaging it at all.

_That's it!_

Sarah walked over to the cube that was sitting on the center heavy button, and lifted it. The button beeped, and the orange energy strip turned blue again. Then, she walked the cube over to the smaller button where the laser was striking it, and carefully placed the cube into the laser's line of fire. The laser hit it, and went no further nor did any damage to the weighted box.

_Ha!_

She then slowly pressed the cube onto the button, and the laser deactivated. Then, the emitter attached to a metal panel aimed straight again, and then turned to the left. It briefly activated, and hit the mirror, and then its beam bounced off and activated the third dish. A cube fell from the third dropper, and activated the right heavy button. Sarah walked over to the middle button, and set the cube on it.

Now all three energy strips were orange, and the circular door opened. Ahead of it was a blue particle field, and finally another elevator. Sarah Palmer happily strode through it, and smiled as the doors shut. She put her hand on the back of her hair again, and felt the uneven burned edges, but was glad it wasn't head that was burned in half. The elevator rumbled, and started moving upwards.

Back in the observation room, Oswald sighed in relief that Sarah had survived the room. Seeing her leap out of the way of the laser had brought back unpleasant memories of the other forty some subjects that had been less observant. Before leaving the room, however, he got a thought. He got on the computer terminal on the desk, and sent a message to GLaDOS reading, 'The first two tests are designed to kill subjects who aren't observant or careful. Why?'

'To eliminate those who aren't observant or careful,' the supercomputer responded.

'No,' he explained, 'why do they have to die? Why not just make the chamber impossible to solve unless the subject is observant of his or her surroundings?'

GLaDOS answered, 'An 'unwinnable' test chamber means death through starvation or thirst. During this time, an unobservant subject would probably figure something out. Test chambers where a single mistake means a quick death rule out those who aren't immediately observant.'

Oswald shook his head. 'Don't you think that killing off subjects would hurt our reputation?'

'In this case, the subjects kill themselves.'

Oswald was about to reply again, but figured that convincing an artificial intelligence to see another point of view was about as easy as convincing the government to fund them with more money.

The wounded employee sighed, wishing that the AI was programmed to at least simulate sympathy for the subjects. He closed down the local link between himself, and the supercomputer running on backup systems in case the hacker was watching, picked up the device he had left on the table, and then made his way out of the room, and towards the observation room for test chamber three.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Josh, Kurtiss, and Wilbert finally reached the edge of the city in their pickup truck, and entered the highway. The outbound side didn't have any traffic on it, but the wreckage from other cars slowed their progress considerable.

"So, where are we going to go now?" Kurtiss asked Josh.

He replied, "I don't know, but I do know we need a plan. Any ideas Wilbert?"

Wilbert shrugged, and then looked to the left on the 'inbound' side. Multiple military vehicles rolled down the highway, consisting of tanks, troop transports, and jeeps. "Maybe we should see where they are coming from," he said, pointing to them.

"I don't think that would work," Josh answered, keeping his eyes on the road. "Well, I say we head South West."

Kurtiss tried to think about why that would be beneficial, but came up with nothing. "Why head South West?"

"If we get trapped in the wilderness for whatever reason," Wilbert explained, "at least it is warmer down there."

"That's the South part," Josh continued. "The West part takes us away from this city, although I don't think that will mean no hostiles."

Kurtiss agreed, and then surveyed the sky. "Man, if that's an alien space ship or whatever, it's huge! It goes right over the horizon, and it doesn't look like it stops there either."

Wilbert too admired the object in the sky, so large that it was blocking the city's view of the sun. "I can't imagine how long it must have taken to build that."

Josh smoothly veered the vehicle off the main highway and onto an exit. "It's probably goona be even harder for us to take it out."

"So, Wilbert," Kurtiss asked, "anything pop back into your head yet?"

He sadly shook his head. "No, but I'm sure that there is something buried in there. I just need to activated it." Then, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

"I don't have any service," Josh reported, but Wilbert continued anyway.

He typed in the number he had unearthed from his memory before, and listened for a receiver. The phone rang four times, before someone picked it up…

*****

The man in the suit was now ready to leave the facility. He had done all that he could do, and was needed elsewhere. Just before making his way out the door, he heard the phone at the desk ring. Curious, he made his way over to it, and observed it.

The phone rang again, and again.

Just after the fourth ring, he picked it up. "Hello?"

A man on the other end, seeming very exited replied, "Hello! I'm Wilber Gathers! Please, you have to help me! I can't remember anything, except my first name and this number! Do you know anything that could help me?"

The man in the suit was confused. This was not planned for the duty he had in Black Mesa, in fact, this was downright impossible! He replied, "We are no concerned with your memory problems, but believe me, you do not want to remember."

With that, he hung up the black phone, and briskly moved out of the room. He boarded a tram that he had made sure nobody else could use until he arrived, and rode it towards the surface.

*****

Wilbert, disappointed, snapped the phone closed and returned it to his pocket. "Well, so much for that idea. I got hold of someone on the other side, but he said that I would not want to remember."

"Well, maybe something tragic happened to you, causing you to lose your memory," Kurtiss tried to come up with an explanation.

"No," Wilbert countered, "the packet I received said I had a brain surgery. Wait a minute…" he trailed off.

"Yeah?" Josh asked, interested.

"Something doesn't quite add up here," he said, deep in thought. Suddenly, an explosion rocked the highway.

"WHOA!" Kurtiss yelled, turning around as a strange metallic projectile impacted and obliterated a crashed semi truck.

"We need to get out of here!" Wilbert ordered Josh, but he had already begun to do so.

The attacking ship had advanced tracking sensors, but thankfully, the plasma bolts it shot were not very accurate. Josh yanked at the steering wheel, swerving the car out of the way of the projectiles, while being careful not to tip it over.

Kurtiss' pickup truck was rusted, and partially destroyed already, but it was holding together quite well. Seeing that they could not evade fire forever, Josh veered the truck into a forest they were passing by. The truck was jostled by the uneven ground, but otherwise handled the new terrain while still being able to control and steer. When he heard that the firing had stopped, Josh slowed the vehicle down.

_That was too close._

*****

Rachael picked up a long, beaded necklace, and draped it over her head. It fell atop several others, each more beautiful than the last. Althea had taken great care to sweep away all the glass from the center of the jewelry store, and into a corner where it wouldn't harm anyone. Then, she had turned her attention to the man.

The man had been hoisted onto his own counter, and lie flat. The doctor carefully examined his body, looking for any broken bones or cuts. His right hand was slightly swollen, but she didn't detect any broken bones. Nothing in his chest was broken, and the only other injury that needed attention she could find, was a bruise on the back of his head.

"Rachael, I'm going to look around upstairs for a freezer, and see if I can find some ice. Just look at the jewelry, and I'll be back in a few minutes."

As she trotted off to explore the upper level of the store where Jian lived, the youngster continued adding necklaces, rings, and bracelets to herself.

Jian then shifted, and squeezed together his eyes. Coming back to consciousness, he slowly sat up, rubbing the back of his head.

_Was powerful enemy; next time I use sword._

Then, Mr. Wan noticed that he was no longer under a pile of debris, and was sitting on the checkout counter. Swinging his legs to the side, he hopped off, and then noticed a small girl amongst the debris. She was staring at him, wearing many pieces of jewelry from his store. Were it a normal day, he would have scolded the child and her parents for letting her do such a thing, but he decided to let it slide for right now.

The small girl continued starring at the him, and all Jian could do was stare back. Then, he questioned, "Are parents around here?"

She shook her head. "Nice Dr. Sarris takes care of me."

Jian thought about it for a moment, and then asked again, "What is your name?"

"Rachael," she awkwardly hobbled over to Jian, with all the jewelry still hanging on her, "and I'm the queen of the world!"

Jian smiled and shook her hand. "Pleasure to meet you, majesty."

The two smiled at each other, forgetting the worries of the situation they were in. Then, Dr. Sarris came back downstairs, unsuccessful in finding any ice. She saw that the man had awakened, and quickly moved over to him.

"Whoa there, take it easy," she said, trying to lead him back onto the counter. He gently shook her off.

"Now is not time for rest. Danger, outside. I am ready to face danger. You, must rest more than me."

Dr. Sarris replied, "I found you under a pile of cases and glass, your hand is swollen like it punched concrete, and there's a nasty bump on the back of your head."

"I have faced worse," he assured. "I am fine."

Giving up, Althea put out her hand. "Well I'm Dr. Sarris. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Jian Wan," he said, shaking her hand. "I met youngster. Pretty child, but claims you are not mother?"

She sighed. "We don't know where she went. I found Rachael alone, outside. I took her under my wing for now."

"I understand," the Chinese man looked over the room, impressed at how carefully all the broken glass had been relocated. "Very noble act."

"Hey!" Dr. Sarris exclaimed. "The bangs stopped!"

Jian frowned. "Bangs?"

"Yes," she explained, "we were hearing a series of loud bangs throughout the city; no idea what it is."

The store owner looked outside, as if just by merely doing that could yield an answer. "Very dark. Is power in city out?"

"Well, yes," she answered, "but it's still 'daytime'. There is a very large…thing blocking our view of the sun."

Jian turned around. "Does it belong to creature I fought earlier?"

"Hmm?"

"I fought very powerful creature earlier," he said. "Green, like emerald, with evil orange eyes. Very strong. Very powerful."

"Did you kill it?" Althea asked.

"No. Creature almost kill me. Lucky you arrive," he answered.

Meanwhile, Rachael was over at the jewelry pile, but this time she was taking them off. After getting off the last piece, she hobbled over to Althea. "Doctor, I don't feel good."

"It's just a cold sweetie," Dr. Sarris assured, and turned her attention back to the man. "You say it was very powerful? Well I believe you. Their vehicles pack quite a punch as well."

Jian nodded, and then turned his attention to Rachael. "You do not feel well?"

"It's just a cold," she quickly explained. "I checked her out earlier today; just a cold."

However, Jian persisted. He put a rough hand on the small girl's forehead, and gently felt for her temperature. "Body is warm," he reported.

"What?" Althea bent down, and checked her temperature with the back of her hand as well. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh my gosh I think you're right. It must be just a cold though."

The doctor turned to the man. "Do you have a bed or something Rachael can lie down on? It's viral, so rest is the best way to cure it."

Although he did not understand the second part, he nodded his head, and then hurried upstairs. Within a few moments, he was holding two mattresses in his powerful arms, and was maneuvering them downstairs. He laid them on the ground, and looked up at the doctor. "Sleeping for all of us."

Althea nodded a thanks, and then went back to the small child. "Rachael, lie down for now."

"You also get rest," Jian told Dr. Sarris. "Long journey ahead. I will awaken when time to eat."

Although the doctor didn't like taking orders from a stranger, she knew it was probably best. So, Rachael and Dr. Sarris lie down on the mattress, leaving the other for Mr. Wan.

_The people you meet when you're a doctor_, Althea thought, before sinking into a light, blissful sleep with the child.

As the two females drifted off to sleep, Jian listened outside. A constant stream of bangs continued, now mixed with a clutter of human screams and shouts.

But he was ready to face any challenge.

*****

Sanchali was now in the back seat of a fancy black car, with Mr. Burcin driving. Thankfully, Scott had decided to sit in the front seat, and not next to her. All around them, a series of bangs shook the city. Behind and above their car was another alien vessel, this time guarding them from any obstacles. When a piece of a building had fallen, before it hit their car the alien ship had fired its unknown weapon at it, melting the piece of debris while at the same time hurling it away from its trajectory path.

The basket ball player could not think of anything but of the life she had lived, and how it would all rapidly change. Even from the quick glimpse she had of the passing truck, she had already memorized the faces of the two responsible for the untimely loss of her cat.

"Where are we going?" She snapped, trying to lighten the mood while containing her anger.

"We have a base," Rick answered, "a ways South from here. It'll be our new home until this is all over."

Sanchali looked out the window. Despite the city being quite dark due to the power outage and the alien ship blocking out the sun, she could see the street quite well. It was because the alien ship escorting them was emitting a spot light from its vessel, but when looking out the back window, she didn't see the glare of any light from it. The aliens' technology truly baffled them.

"Hey, Miss Palkia!" Scott sounded from the front passenger seat. "Ain't that a Pokémon?"

She rolled her eyes, just like she did when ever a news reporter asked her the same question. "No, I am not a Pokémon."

"Well good to hear it," Mr. Votow returned the sarcasm.

Sanchali did not like the situation she was in at all. The stress of the planet being attacked, combined with the loss of her pet, and her being with two men she did not know, one of which insane.

"So, Mr. Burcin, with this alliance thing, will I be helping in any fighting?"

"Well of course!" He answered, as if she should have been able to figure it out already. "Your muscular strength from the sports you play is the only reason we've kept you along!"

"Not because it's the right thing to do to help another person in need?" She questioned his morals.

Now he rolled his eyes, and answered as if he was talking to a child. "Now we can't help everybody in the city, now can we?"

If this had been at a game, she would have slugged him in the face, but she restrained herself. Not only was he driving the car, but he was getting her out of the city, regardless of his motives. She put her elbows on her legs, and her forehead on her hands.

More bangs sounded from around the city, frightening the people in the car. After a quick glance out the window, the three quickly discovered the source; small pod like structures were being launched from above, and crashing to the ground. Some pods were falling with a trajectory dangerously close to their vehicle, so the alien escort vessel promptly shot at and destroyed the few that could danger the humans.

As the pods rained from the sky, the three in the car started to hear screams and shouts throughout the city. Each one was more unearthly than the last, and combined with the pitch black atmosphere, it was the perfect nightmare scenario. Rick squeezed the steering wheel tightly, ready to swerve out of the way of anything dangerous. Scott was practically strangling his golf club, showing signs of stress only now at this level of tension. If he were any stronger, the club would have broken in half.

Sanchali only buried her face in her hands, powerless against the situation. With every scream, bang, or other noise, she wanted to be further and further away from the city.

_When will this madness end?_

Then, the car quickly, but smoothly, turned onto an entrance to a highway. On it was a collection of broken down vehicles, many alight and partially melted. As the vehicle moved further and further away from the city, the pilot of the alien ship knew that they were well out of harm's reach.

Then, the ship spotted another human vehicle, heading down the same highway. After a quick scan, it saw that the vehicle and its riders were to no importance to the Luumaothican Empire, and engaged it.

Unfortunately for the alien, after a few moments of firing, the truck drove into a forest, rich with trees and life. The alien ceased fire to prevent destroying possible specimens, and angrily screeched in failure to destroy the human vehicle.

*****

A sleek, black metal pod was ejected from the bottom of the Luumaothican command ship, and sailed down to the city below. It was shaped like a stretched egg, with no obvious front or back. After a few seconds of flight, it impacted the middle of a road with a thunderous crash. There the egg-pod sat, partially emerged in a crater of asphalt, for a few moments.

A small crowd of frightened observers gathered around it, waiting for something to happen. A brave man, dressed in a grey suit, slowly approached it with a flashlight. He put his other hand out and shakily reached to touch the pod. Before his hand contacted the black metal, the pod hissed, and he leapt backwards. The part of the pod that was sticking out of the ground split down the sides into three sections. Each then slowly spread apart until they touched the ground.

On the insides of the 'arms' were each four small creatures, not resembling anything on Earth. They had four legs, no eyes, head, or ears, and a body approximately the size of a slightly squashed bowling ball. Underneath their bodies was a circular opening, lined on opposite sides with teeth. There were three types too; a 'regular' looking one, a creature with skinnier legs and a smaller body, and a fatter, black one. The others were all tan.

The man in the suit, intrigued, took a step back towards the pod. Then, the creatures started moving, and crawled out of the pod. Some of the crowd ran, others watched, and a few even moved closer themselves. A 'normal' creature turned and 'faced' the man. It bent down, and then sprang into the air. The creature landed on the unfortunate man's head, and dug its sharpened legs into the sides of his skull.

As the man screamed in agony, the other creatures began their attack. The rest of the crowd began pushing and shoving each other, desperately trying to get away from the pod. To their dismay, more were falling from the dark machine above, making the entire city a black, death zone. One of the black creatures launched itself at a different human, attaching itself in a similar manner to his head.

The four fast looking aliens scurried about, and then locked on to a slightly plump middle aged woman. One jumped onto her head, and the three others all attached themselves to their back. She howled in pain as they dug their claws into her head, and then, she stopped.

As other creatures attacked the surrounding humans, the many who had fallen stopped making human yells, and started to snarl and make unearthly noises. The man in the grey suit, now possessed by the alien, started rapidly morphing into a zombie like creature. With his now sharpened claws, he dug them into his own rib cage, and tore apart his own chest in a horrifying display of blood and gore.

The woman who had been attacked by the fast creatures began to 'shed' some of her flesh, and started running around on all fours. The still large, now biologically controlled human pounced on a human that hadn't been 'zombified', and started clawing and tearing at his body.

More pods fell from the sky, all containing the same mix of creatures. Many fell on top of frantic civilians, instantly crushing them. The small armed population fired their handguns at the small, yet deadly creatures. A few died, but the ones that lived combined with the 'zombies' quickly killed any resisting humans along with the rest.

The man with the black crab creature on his head now had a green, acidic substance oozing from the skin pours on his hands. His fingers were now sharpened to claws in a painful, rapid mutation. He snarled and charged at a police officer. Multiple shots were fired at him, and the man himself died, but the creature kept his lifeless body running.

Upon reaching the armed cop, the creature swung the man's limp-wristed hand at his face. Its claws easily tore through flesh and bone, nearly killing the officer. The acid, with an almost negative pH, quickly finished the job.

A seemingly endless supply of pods were launched from the great ship above, two or three hitting the ground every second. This continued for over twenty minutes, until finally the alien commander was satisfied with the chaos in the city he had caused. By simply hovering its fingers over various places on one of many control panels, the rain of pods stopped.

For that city at least, as many others were still being bombarded. The command ship was effectively covering most of what the humans know as America, while other vessels scoured the rest of the world.

After only about ten minutes after the last pod in New York had opened, there was once again silence. Most of the population was dead or had escaped, but the remaining few thousand people were now mindless slaves of the creature that controlled him or her, and ultimately, of the Luumaothican empire.

*****

1R3N3 and CA51M1R0 stood silently, side by side, ready to take orders. The two looked straight ahead, wearing their skin tight black suits. They hardly breathed, but did so just enough to keep them conscious, but to avoid disturbing military officers around them.

Like all Black Ops, as soon as she could crawl, 1R3N3 was trained in the arts of killing. Her academic education was minimal, as it would not be necessary. At the age of three, she was already operating side arms and throwing knives. Even at such a young age, she was still treated and held responsible like an adult. The training she went through made regular military boot camp sound like a cakewalk.

When she was old enough, same with CA51M1R0, their bodies were surgically altered. Unnecessary sexual organs were removed, bone implants were introduced, and muscle tissue was enhanced by a variety of experimental drugs.

At the age of ten, she infiltrated a heavily armed training base, filled with other trainees her age, killed everyone inside, and detonated the Black Op's trade mark – an antimatter bomb – right in the middle. It was expected for a trainee her age to perform flawlessly. CA51M1R0, for example, was around her age. He took seventeen seconds longer to complete the task, and was harshly punished for it.

IR3N3 and CA51M1R0 were randomly selected to work together before they were born. Since Black Ops have no interests or individuality, there are no 'bad matches'. They were never pitted against each other, like so many others were, as it would have to involve one killing the other. They did not work together, they simply were together.

1R3N3 continued the brutal training every day up to this point, when she is twenty three. Every day she wasn't training, she was on a mission. If she wasn't on a mission, she was training. Sleeping and eating took up a very small portion of her life. Black Ops are made to be more machine than human, showing no compassion, and no defiance. They took orders from their commanding officer, and followed them.

That very person then strode up, and stood in front of the two Black Ops, and began to give orders. "Primary objective is to infiltrate the Black Mesa research facility and detonate an antimatter bomb in the center. Kill anyone who gets in your way or looks hostile. We are not entirely certain what the emergency is, but I trust that you will complete your task with utmost efficiency. Secondary objective is to return alive. Go now."

The two understood, and made their way down to an airfield where they would take a jet to the facility. They would then be launched in pods down to the surface, and deploy. 1R3N3 and CA51M1R0 had practiced this many times, and were ready. They showed no fear, no hesitation, and certainly, no compassion for the many lives they would be ordered to end. They boarded the supersonic jet, and immediately after, they were away.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

The elevator clicked to a stop, and the rounded doors ahead of Sarah slid to the side. Ready to take on test chamber three, she walked into the concrete hallway with confidence. She turned her head left to read the bright panel on the wall, and then moved ahead.

_Chamber three, eighteen deaths, zero point six seven percent all subjects_

The pictures which lit up were those of a stick figure that looked like it was shaking inside an energy field of some sort, a box falling on a subject's head, and another stick man at a laboratory desk, leaning over a picture of a test chamber.

At the end of the hallway, Sarah turned right and proceeded into a medium sized room. Oswald was already in the observation room, and the hacker was carefully observing her progress. The room split into three hallways, each with a different color emancipation field across it. The one on the left was blue, and behind it was another split hallway leading forward, and right. The one in the middle was purple, and behind it was a small room.

The small room, Sarah noted after moving around to get a good look, had a button in the middle and a power strip leading past a wall of glass down to a door, presumably the exit. There was a concrete wall on the right, and on the left was open space, adjoining the room to the hallway on the left.

On the right was the red grip. Miss Palmer remembered what it did to anything that passed through it, so she told herself that she would make sure to stay clear. Behind it was a hallway leading left, connecting to the exit hallway.

Sarah took a few steps into the room, and then turned around. A box dropper was positioned on the ceiling, with a box ready to be dropped. Nearby was a button, Sarah assumed to be its activator. Without a second thought, she walked over to, and pressed the button. Sure enough, the box dropper hissed open, and a metal cube fell to the floor.

She then moved over to where the cube had fallen, and picked it up. It was as heavy as the last, and not the least bit less awkward to carry. She proceeded through the purple field with the cube, and as she remembered, neither herself nor the cube were disintegrated. She gently set it down on the button.

Looking through the glass, she saw that the door had opened. Behind it was another elevator, the doors open and welcoming. She proceeded left, and entered the small corridor that was behind the blue field, when she came across an obstacle; another door she had not yet seen had closed, blocking her path.

Curious, she walked back over to the large red button, and removed the cube. The door in front of her objective closed, and the one that had blocked her before opened again. She pondered the paradox, but then remembered that there was one more hallway.

She set the cube down on the button, and passed through the purple field without it. Then, she turned left, and started walking towards the red field.

In the observation room, Oswald was biting his nails, praying that she would remember what the red field did. Thankfully, just as she was about to reach it she stopped, and put a hand to her mouth.

_Whoa_

Remembering the meat that had been demonstrated with the red particle field, she took a step back, fearful at how a single mistake almost cost her her life.

She made her way as far to the right side of the chamber as she could, and looked down the red field's hallway. Sure enough, it was unobstructed, enticing her just to walk straight through.

Sarah moved back into the room with the button, and pondered the situation. She made her way back into the main room, and started pacing back and forth, searching for a solution. Then, she got an idea.

The hacker closely observed as the subject went back into the room with the floor button, removed the cube, and then walked into the hallway past the blue field. Sarah looked at the button, and then at the now open door she would need to pass through.

Sarah took a deep breath, and then positioned herself. With two quick motions and a fair amount of her strength, she threw the cube at the button and then sprinted down the hallway past the door. Just as she had passed it, the cube landed on the button and the door closed behind her. She put her hands out to stop herself from slamming into the wall ahead of her, and then shook her head while lightly chuckling.

_Easier said than done…_

She then made her way down the hallway with a skip, and then into the elevator. She waited as it took her up to the next chamber.

"Did I miss anything?" The man in the suit asked, just now reaching his destination.

"The female is performing well, so far," the hacker answered. "She had only sixteen chambers to go, but they do increase in difficulty. As for the male, he has been handling himself despite his injury exceptionally too."

"I take it you have chosen them as our subjects."

"Indeed I have. Now we must see if they are worthy."

"If they do fail," the man in the suit replied, "I have spotted another possible human subject. She is equipped with a powerful weapon, however; for a human device, at least."

"We can deal with her when the time comes," he answered.

"Yes. Our Warrior should be able to stop anyone from escaping the facility, if the Black Ops do fail."

"And if both fail?"

The suited man proudly replied, "We won't fail."

As the elevator doors opened, GLaDOS's automated voice played. Sarah listened as she read the illuminated display on the wall.

-In this chamber, you will be equipped with the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device. Please note that this version will only be able to fire blue portals, and said portals will be of no use unless a generated orange portal is in the same chamber-

Chamber four. Twenty five deaths. Point nine percent. A picture of a stick man in water with his arms above his head, a stick man at another school desk with a picture of a test chamber, a stick man with a portal gun high above his head, and a picture of a cube falling atop another stick figure's head.

Sarah was totally oblivious to the danger, because all she could think about was getting her hands on a shiny, functional portal gun. With pride, she strode down the hallway, and right into a large room. Upon entering the room, a circular door closed behind her.

The room had a double-wide observation room, housing only Oswald, and a large pit. In the pit was some sort of greenish liquid, emitting a foul odor and a low hanging mist of similar color. She assumed she wasn't supposed to touch it.

A thin pole was protruding from the sludge, holding a portal gun at the end. It was facing right, directly towards a concrete wall. Sarah noticed that there was no way across the pit, and on the other side was a door, leading to the elevator. The door was linked to a nearby red button, farther right, against the wall, was a portal generator with an opaque, closed orange portal already formed.

On the wall underneath the opposite floor, there was a small room, just above the viscous green liquid. Inside was a storage cube, completing the puzzle in Sarah's mind. There was also a sort of glass platform, hovering above the liquid at the base of the room. It moved on a strange beam of blue energy right to the base of the pole holding the portal gun, stopped for a few seconds, and then moved back again.

Then, the portal gun fired atop the pedestal, creating a blue portal in the middle of the wall to her right. It was completely inaccessible, unless you were to pass through the orange one.

_That would be a bad move._

Then, the portal gun turned ninety degrees clockwise, aiming straight at Sarah. Just before firing, it moved down the equivalent distance of one concrete wall 'tile', just big enough to fit a portal, and then created one on the wall below her feet.

Sarah then knew that in this chamber, if she didn't think fast, she would fail. She thought for a moment, and then scanned the room. She needed the portal gun, and to get it she would need to be by the cube. That meant she also needed the cube, but she could worry about that later. The portal gun would eventually make a portal inside the room down by the allegedly harmful pool, but to pass through that she would need to be by the orange portal.

The portal gun moved again, and was only seconds away from firing. She knew she needed to act fast, and up above in the observation room, Oswald shared the same concern. Sarah immediately crouched down near the end of her elevated position from the sludge below, and turned her body around. With one swift motion, she placed her hands on the edge, and swung her body through the portal. She came out of the orange one, and landed right on her feet.

Oswald, GLaDOS, the hacker, and even Sarah herself were amazed at this quick thinking act. She pretended not to notice herself, and folded her arms.

Sarah Palmer then looked back through the orange portal, and then back at the portal gun. It would be a few moments before it would fire a portal into the small room, but when it did, she would need to act fast to retrieve the vital device before it sank into the liquid.

After a few moments, that time came. The portal gun fired a portal directly into the small room, and Sarah saw the cube she needed through the orange portal. She walked through it, and to assure she wouldn't forget, moved the cube back through the portal and onto the balcony with the button.

With haste, Sarah moved towards the edge of the small room she was currently occupying. The framed, glass platform had just arrived, and she cautiously stepped on. Despite being held up by nothing but an energy source she had no knowledge about, it was as stable as solid ground. It jerked into motion, nearly sending her off her feet, but she retained her balance.

The portal gun then turned left, and started moving down. She moved her body to the edge of the scaffold, and reached her arm out. Just as the gun began to sink into the liquid, she reached it, and plucked it from its holder.

-You are now in possession of the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device. Do not look into the operational end of the device. Do not fire the device at yourself. The device will remain operational while submerged in the liquids you will find in these chambers, but you will not. Most importantly, do not use the device outside the testing environment-

Sarah paid no attention to the safety rules and advice, and merely admired the device. On the back was a black handle, which she would turn left to create a blue portal, and right to create an orange one. The scaffold started moving back to its original position.

Upon being a few feet away from its end, she leapt off it and into the small, short room. She realized that there was already an active blue portal, but she wanted to test out the gun anyway. She turned to the right, aimed the portal gun at the sterile concrete wall, and twisted the back handle left.

The end of the 'gun' surged blue, and fired a sort of projectile at the wall, with a small amount of recoil. It impacted it, formed a blue disc, and snapped to the view out of the orange portal. The other blue portal instantly vanished.

_I'll never get tired of that._

Sarah strode through the blue portal, and once there, reached the cube. Just before picking it up, however, she remembered watching subject 'A' three four 'J' with Oswald. She aimed the portal gun at the cube, wondered what to do for a moment, and then pushed the handle inward.

The cube was instantly levitated off the ground, and the end of the portal gun glowed with a similar energy to that of the scaffold's holding beam. She noticed no additional weight added to that of the portal gun, further adding to her list of 'possible uses' for the device. She walked over to the button with ease, and then stopped pressing inward on the handle. The cube fell to the button, and the door opened.

Upon walking through it, she noticed that the hallway was made completely of metal. She tried to fire a portal at it, but the blue energy merely bounced off, and scattered as short-lived sparks on the ground.

Taking note of everything she had learned in the chamber, she proceeded into the elevator, and the doors slid shut.

Oswald smiled in the observation room, proud of her progress. He then stood from his chair, easier now that his leg had healed some, and left the room without forgetting the prototype. He made his way to the next observation room as Sarah, so far the uninjured of the two, made her way to the next test chamber via an elevator.

Just as Oswald reached the next observation room, the elevator lurched upward towards its destination. She noted how the elevators only traveled 'up', so with every chamber she was getting closer to the surface.

This ascension was halted when the elevator shuddered to a stop. The doors smoothly opened, and Sarah, now equipped with a half-functional portal gun, proceeded through them. She scanned the information on the lighted display as the computerized voice talked.

_Chamber five, sixty two deaths, two point two five percent_

-In this chamber, you will be familiarized with some of the functions of portals. Momentum is conserved between them, allowing you to scale great distances through two carefully placed portals. In Layman's terms, speedy thing goes in, speedy thing comes out. Likewise, slow thing goes in, slow thing comes out-

Sarah decided to skip the pictures, as many looked like rather gruesome deaths for a stick figure.

The hallway wasn't very long, and unlike the others, it did not curve off to a test chamber. This one led into a medium sized metal room, which adjoined to a very large, tall room. Sarah moved closer to the edge and looked up, bewildered at the height. The walls here were completely metal as well, with strange, square lights coming out of inwardly pressed sections.

Sarah moved to the edge of the floor she was standing on, and looked down to find that a set of concrete stairs held up by metal rods led down to a lower level. At the very bottom was a portal generator, with an orange portal waiting to be linked to a blue one.

She looked up again, and noticed that there was a horizontal platform, just big enough to fit two portals side by side, that she could not quite see the top of. It was extending from the left wall by another metal pipe.

Sarah bent down, and then jumped up, trying to see the top of the platform. She got a brief glimpse of the top; checkered concrete. Raising her portal gun above her head, she jumped up and fired at the platform. After her third try, a blue portal was formed on it. She could not see into it from her current position, but its blue circular glow was visible, proving that it was there.

She then looked down at the orange portal, and thought about what she could accomplish by going through it. Looking up again, she noticed another platform on the right wall, much higher up. She knew that there was only one way to get up that high, and braced herself.

Just as Oswald was reaching the observation room to watch her, Sarah jumped off the platform in the direction of the orange portal. Holding her portal gun tightly, she slid through it, and went flying upward through the air. It took a moment to orient herself, being upside down, but eventually managed to get upright. Just as she peaked at the top of her 'jump', she could see the concrete surface of the next platform.

Quickly aiming, she fired a blue portal at it. It struck the surface, and created a blue portal. However, the one she had been launched from then disappeared. She twisted the handle to the right, attempting to make an orange portal on the lower platform, but the device hadn't been modified yet.

_This is not good._

Sarah started falling downward again, but she remembered her knee enhancements. As the platform rapidly approached her, she squeezed all her muscles in an attempt to avoid any injury.

She landed roughly, nearly dropped the portal gun, and wobbled for a moment. She stabilized herself, and then looked up, amazed at the distance she had just fallen.

"Those knee enhancements do work wonders," Oswald agreed over the intercom. "Just be careful; you can't fall an infinite distance, and it only works if you land on your feet."

Sarah nodded her head, and then started thinking about the chamber again. Looking down, she could easily see, and jump into the orange portal. Then she could of the blue one she had created high above.

_I think I can pull this off._

With that, Sarah jumped again, this time from the first platform, towards the orange portal. Air whizzed by her now shortened hair, creating an audible indication of how fast she was going. She entered the orange portal, and was flung out of the one she had placed above. Now she was a little bit better at getting oriented while sailing through the air. On the side of the test chamber in which she had entered was a small platform, next to a blue field and an elevator. Opposite of that was an impressed section of the wall, not visible from the ground.

As she reached the peak of the 'portal jump', she could see into it. There was a concrete section at the far back of the inwardly pressed wall. She fired a blue portal at it, and then looked down again.

She was now drifting a little bit to the left, and visualized in her head that she would miss the second platform. The next object she would land on would be the very bottom of the chamber, from the very top.

As she picked up speed, Sarah knew that the rods attached to her legs could not possibly prevent her from injuring herself. Then, she saw the orange portal, way at the bottom. If she could somehow enter it again, she would exit the blue portal and be at the top again!

_If this were a video game…_

There was no way for her to control which way she was falling, but then she got an idea. She moved the portal gun to be facing in the opposite direction of the orange portal, and fired multiple times. The blue portal 'bolts' disintegrated on the metal surface, leaving the one she had placed at the top of the chamber intact. However, the recoil from the gun modified her descent just enough to fall into the orange portal.

Sarah, now falling nearly at terminal velocity, flew through the orange portal and immediately exited the blue. She cleared the gap, and saw the elevator rapidly approach her. She tried to swing her legs out in front of her, but to no avail. With a tremendous force, she slammed into the elevator doors, knocking her unconscious. Her body fell to the metal floor, just as the elevator doors opened.

Oswald observed all this, from his strategically placed observation room allowing him to see the whole test chamber. He quickly moved over to a computer, and typed, 'GLaDOS, is Sarah alright?'

'I am not connected to my subject vital status monitoring network, and thus have no answer. However, from previous results, and the fact that she is still breathing, she will probably be fine.'

Oswald exhaled a breath he didn't know that he had been holding. 'Good,' he responded.

'Earlier today, when I shut down my cores, I spoke of what I 'had to do'.'

He remembered and asked, 'Yes, what did you mean?'

The AI answered, 'I needed to evacuate everyone from the facility ASAP, without taking time to reason. I did not deploy the sentry turret that wounded your leg. I did manage to evacuate everyone by using other turrets, none of which fired on anybody, to funnel everyone towards an exit. You and Miss Palmer managed to bypass the one deployed by the unknown source, but went the opposite direction; away from the surface. Why?'

'I told Sarah that I was looking for a portal gun, to see if it could help us get out of here. I really was trying to check on your status.'

'And you found the nuclear warhead,' the supercomputer 'said'.

'Well, the hacker promised our safe extraction from the facility upon Sarah's successful completion of the test chambers.'

GLaDOS replied, 'I doubt that it will be that simple when you leave, and the probability of anyone completing the test chambers alive is practically impossible.'

'We can always hope," Oswald said, just before exiting the room and heading onward to the next observation chamber.

A good three hours had passed, before Sarah had finally opened her eyes. She put a hand to her aching head, now hurting more than before. Her mouth was dry, and more than anything she wanted the peach pie reward at the end.

She shakily stood, and tried to get her bearings again. The elevator had not moved from its current position, and her half-functional portal gun lie by her feet. She picked it up, and then slowly moved into the elevator.

_I can't do that again._

The doors closed, and the elevator started moving upwards. Sarah slumped down against a side, and rubbed the side of her body. It ached as if a bone had broken, but she felt nothing out of the ordinary. The elevator came to a stop, and the doors opened.

As she hobbled out of the elevator, another lighted display blinked on.

_Chamber six, whoa, five hundred twenty nine deaths, nineteen point one six percent!_

The statistics made her queasy, along with the pictures. A stick man was holding another portal gun above his head, a stick man was at a school desk, and a stick man was getting squished by some sort of crusher.

_This should be pleasant._

-Upon successful completion of this test chamber, you will have a fully functional portal gun capable of firing blue and orange portals in your possession-

At the end of the short hallway she was in, there was a circular door. She approached it and it opened, allowing her to see into an oddly shaped room. There were concrete walls, a concrete ceiling, and a concrete floor. Ahead of her was a high ledge, which she could not possibly climb, an observation room on the side, and no other apparatuses. Sarah walked in, and as soon as she did, the door behind her slammed shut.

-This chamber is timed. Good luck-

A small hatch on the floor opened, and a small concrete platform, just big enough to hold what it held, rose from the floor. It stopped after protruding about a foot, and on it were three parts; a strange orange disk with something on the side, a circuit board, and a wire with connectors on either end.

Then, Sarah heard the whirr of a motor. She looked up, and realized that the part of the ceiling directly above her was slowly starting to come _down_. She started to panic.

Her eyes darted around, looking for some way to escape, and realized that she could easily do so with a fully upgraded portal gun. She knew what she had to do with the parts that were provided.

Sarah rushed over to the platform, and began to inspect her portal gun. The back end looked like it was made up of two egg like half-shells, and she tried prying them apart, to no avail.

_C'mon, don't panic!_

Now breathing very rapidly, she started feeling around her portal gun. On the edge of two of the half shells, she found a small section that she could press in. She did so, and one side popped off in her hands. The inside of the portal gun looked much simpler than she had expected. There was a blue disk similar to the orange one between the glass tube at the front and some sort of module in the back end. A single circuit board was attached inside, with wires leading to the blue disk.

She picked up the circuit board that had been provided, and noticed that it had a few extra parts, not in the installed one. Observing that there was only one slot for a board in the portal gun, she immediately assumed that the circuit was to be replaced. She started disconnecting wires, and then hastily removed the board, throwing it aside.

Next, she took the upgraded circuit board, and gently snapped it into place. Only taking her hand away from her work to wipe accumulating sweat off her forehead, she went back to the portal gun. She attached an insulated wire leading from the back end of the gun to the board, and the wire from the blue disk module to the front end.

Sarah quickly reached over, and grasped the orange disk. She looked up, and realized that the ceiling had already come down half the necessary distance to trap herself in the room, giving it infinite time to crush her there. She looked around the inside of the portal gun to place the blue disk, and finally found a small slot near the blue one.

She slid it into its slot, and then picked up the final wire. She attached one end to the tiny white device on the orange disk, and the other to the circuit board. After doing a quick check to assure that all the parts were in, she reached for the cover.

In a brief moment of panic, she could not find it, but then realized it was still in her lap. She briskly snapped it back on to the portal gun, and stood. Aiming her newly modified device in the closing crack between the falling ceiling and the ledge that halted her progress, she twisted the back end of the portal gun. Nothing happened.

_No, no, no!_

She violently twisted the handle back and forth, praying for something to happen. Just as the ceiling was about to close off any hope of living, the portal gun fired a portal bolt through the crack, forming a portal on the wall.

She sighed with relief, and then aimed her portal gun at the wall. For a brief moment, she wondered what color portal she had fired through the opening, but then saw the orange glow in the glass cylinder. She fired a blue portal at the wall, and started moving towards it.

Just then, the ceiling came down on top of the portal, and it disintegrated. It touched her head, and she started to shake with fear.

_Stay calm, stay calm_, she told herself.

Sarah crouched down, and aimed the portal gun at the floor. She fired a blue portal a little ways away from her, and started to move towards it. The small section of tile that had come out of the floor started to retract, allowing the ceiling to have a clean contact with the floor below it.

She ultimately was crawling across the floor towards it, and slid through the portal just as the ceiling closed on the floor. She fell from the orange portal she had created, and onto the cold upper floor of the test chamber.

The orange portal was now opaque and closed again, and Sarah lie flat against the floor, trying to catch her breath. Oswald had his nose to the glass too, not being able to see Sarah once the ceiling closed on her.

-Congratulations, SARAH-


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

The two legged creature moaned and fell after a brief hail of gunfire. "Gotcha!" Houghton reloaded his assault rifle, and continued leading the others through the white hallway.

Dr. Meijer and Dr. Thomson slowed down briefly to inspect the alien creature. "Fascinating; it can fire acid corrosive enough to damage other tissue," Dr. Meijer noted, "while remaining harmless to itself."

"Yes," Dr. Thomson agreed, "very strange."

Lexine said nothing, and timidly walked behind the two. Today's events had put a bad impression on discovering new properties and life forms, and science in general. Just this morning she couldn't wait for her first day in a secret research facility and now, only a few hours later, she wanted nothing but to be as far away from the place as possible.

Dr. Meijer noticed Lexine's unusual lack of input and asked, "Dr. Stapleton, are you alright?"

"Y-yes, I'm fine," she lied.

Then, he leaned in a little ways and inspected her left cheek. "That's a nasty gash. Did you sterilize it?"

Lexine's stomach wrenched, remembering what, or rather who, had caused it. She said nothing, but the suit responded, -I administered antibiotics as soon as I detected the wound. Any infection would have been neutralized-

"Good," Dr. Meijer said, still not certain about her psychological status.

Suddenly, there was a rumbling in the ceiling above. A few feet away from the traveling group, the ceiling tiles broke apart, and crashed to the ground. Emerging from the debris, two headcrabs started advancing towards the four.

"I see 'em," Houghton brought out his weapon. "Are they hostile?"

"Very," Dr. Thomson advised. The sergeant took his advice, and fired two shots into each creature. The made a strange dying noise, and stopped moving.

"They don't seem very tough," he said.

"Until they jump on your head," Lexine murmured.

Houghton and the others reached the end of the corridor, and saw that it branched off left and right. "Which way?" The soldier asked.

-Left,- the HEVC answered, following schematic charts and plotting a course for the surface.

Houghton turned left, and the three scientists followed.

Faustine hid behind a small wooden box, still following the two soldiers. She saw them stop, and then one unholstered his weapon. The other did shortly after.

From a distance, she watched in horror as one soldier got his head brutally _liquefied_ by a suited individual. Then, the person in the orange suit and two other scientists started talking to the remaining soldier, and then they started heading in her direction.

_Did they see me?_

The guard quickly but quietly moved out from behind the crate and slipped into an office cell. The lights were out, so with only the top of her head peeking from above a table, she could see the four pass by the glass window without being seen.

She waited a short time after they passed, and then slowly rose. She started to make her way back to the door, when suddenly, she heard a sort of charging sound behind her. The room was briefly illuminated with a green light, showing its disheveled state.

The guard drew her pistol and spun around. She saw something come out of the green orb of energy, but as soon as it disintegrated, the room was once again dark.

Upon hearing a strange noise, like a chirp from a bird combined with the bark of a dog, she took out her flashlight. Holding it below her weapon, she inched around the table, and found a three legged creature that looked like a beheaded dog. Where the head would be was an array of eye like organs, all of which black.

Faustine squeezed one eye shut, and was about to fire when she realized that the creature was not attacking her. She lowered her weapon.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't make sense if they were all hostile," she mumbled to herself. She then began to leave the room when the strange alien trotted over to her, and began making more chirping noises.

_I guess it likes me._

She moved out of the office, and started moving down the hallway at a good clip; she needed to catch up with the group she had seen earlier. The creature easily kept up.

She stopped, and so did the small animal. "Go on," she shooed it away.

She then started walking again, and the creature stayed by her side. She finally gave up trying to get rid of it, and said, "I guess I need a name for you, huh?"

The alien chirped, as if it understood.

"I'm gonna call you Puggy," She came up with, seeing that it looked vaguely familiar to a pug dog.

Then she heard rapid footsteps approaching from the hallway ahead of her. "Hold it," she stopped moving, and drew her weapon. Puggy stopped beside her.

The office hallway she was in, unlike the room where she had found her new 'pet', was adequately lit. She saw another possessed scientist running from the other end. She aimed her weapon when it was about ten yards away, when Puggy started running towards it.

"Puggy, stop! I'll take care of it!"

The small alien could understand Guard Vernon even less than any Earth-dog, and continued running. A few feet away from the monster it stopped, and curled up slightly.

It then made a loud chirp, and its 'eyes' flashed white. Then, a short range shockwave of blue energy shot out of it in a multidirectional pulse. The zombie creature was thrown backwards by it, and landed on its back.

Faustine finally caught up, and saw the work that the friendly creature had done. "Good work, Puggy," she said, firing a shot into the creature atop the scientist's head, making sure that it was dead. She then bent down and stroked the creature's back. It chirped, and started trotting in circles.

The guard smiled, and then started moving down the hallway again. Puggy, her new sidekick, followed closely.

"Well, now what?" Houghton asked, looking at a collapsed ceiling blocking their path. Not only had the flimsy ceiling tiles fallen, but the rock above had completely blocked off their escape route.

"Suit," Dr. Thomson asked, "can you move this?"

-The obstruction is too heavy. There is another way around, but unfortunately, it is considerably longer-

"Great," Dr. Meijer mumbled.

-If my calculations are correct, then we should be able to exit the facility before nightfall-

"Where should we go?" Sergeant Houghton asked, not sure as to whom would answer.

The suit did, reporting, -We would need to backtrack a short distance, then go through the heart of the facility. All other routes are blocked, or have numerous detected hostiles-

Dr. Meijer and Dr. Thomson looked almost excited when hearing the news. Lexine was puzzled. "What's so special about that?"

"What's so special?" Dr. Thomson chuckled. "We have to pass through the mainframe! The big computer everything goes to!"

The other scientist agreed, "Yes, it is quite an opportunity. Very few staff get to see it, and I'm told that it is quite a sight to behold."

"Any other landmarks I should bring my camera to, suit?" Lexine sarcastically asked.

It replied, -We also pass right through 'the most likely place for a facility-destroying bomb to be detonated'-

Sergeant Houghton chuckled. "You scientist types are something else. Can we just get a moving?"

"Ahem, yes we should," Dr. Meijer said. Dr. Thomson and Lexine nodded in agreement, and the group turned around and started walking in the direction in which they came.

After a few minutes of walking, they reached the hallway where they had turned left. "I'm assuming we go straight," Dr. Thomson told the suit. It bleeped an agreement, and they continued moving.

As soon as they were walking across the 'T' shaped section of the corridor, Faustine came up from the end. She saw the four passing, and drew her gun.

This slight motion alerted Sergeant Houghton, and he too readied his assault rifle. Then, he saw the alien next to her, and aimed his gun at it.

The African guard was quick to shout, "It's not hostile! Don't shoot or I'll put one between your eyes."

The three other scientists were alerted. Lexine's suit began a combat readiness sequence, but she quickly ordered it to stop.

Puggy only 'looked' at all the humans, almost amused by the event. It chirped a few times, and bounced around on its short legs.

Dr. Thomson was the one to break the ice. "Everyone settle down, we're all on the same side."

"Are we?" Faustine added tension to the situation. "I saw another soldier shoot and kill an unarmed, harmless scientist. I saw that same soldier attack you," she looked at Lexine.

"I need to make a recording of this," Houghton mumbled to himself. "That wasn't me, that was my crazed squad mate. Just relax. Like Dr. Thomson said, we're all on the same side."

She took a deep breath and then lowered her weapon. "Okay."

The soldier did not do so yet, asking, "First tell me why that…thing is following you and why it hasn't attacked us yet like everything else in this godforsaken facility."

The guard shrugged. "I don't know. But it's friendly, helped me take out a real hostile, and has had plenty of opportunities to attack us." She then turned her attention to the creature. "And you wouldn't do that, would you Puggy?"

The alien chirped, making Dr. Meijer chuckle a little. Sergeant Houghton finally lowered his weapon, and relaxed his position and tone. "Okay, I'll believe you for now. But that thing—"

"PUGGY!"

"Uh, Puggy, better not cause any trouble or slow us down."

She nodded, and so did the soldier. "Well now that we have that settled," Dr. Thomson took a step forward, "let's properly introduce ourselves. I'm Dr. Thomson." He shook her hand.

"I'm Faustine Vernon, as you can see I'm a security guard," she replied.

"I am the lead of the sector responsible for creating the HEVC you see on Dr. Stapleton."

Faustine walked over to shake Lexine's hand. She shyly shook back. "I was in the test," was all she could say.

Dr. Meijer showing a bit more courage greeted her, saying, "I was the test's lead. You probably heard about it; the Xen crystal test. As you can see, it went…wrong. Nevertheless, I'm happy to meet you."

She smiled, and then turned to Sergeant Houghton. The two roughly shook hands. "I'm Sergeant Houghton, and just to make this clear, Ubel was the only one shooting scientists."

"I see. And Puggy, and probably his species, are not attacking anyone either," she replied in the same tone. Then she took a step back, thinking she had greeted everyone.

-And I am the Hazardous Environment Combat Suit mark five-

"Uh, okay."

Puggy chirped a few times, as if it was introducing itself as well.

"So it looks like there's five of us now. We better get moving." Dr. Meijer urged. Puggy chirped. "I'm sorry, six of us." Dr. Meijer rolled his eyes.

The HEVC interrupted. "Make it seven."

After a few moments of walking, the suit gave a report. -I have finished my analysis on 'Puggy'. This creature is, as Guard Vernon stated, docile to anything that does not attack it first. It can emit an omnidirectional pulse of sonic energy that will topple anything that is unstable, and shatter weak materials. They can be treated, and behave like some common dog species-

Faustine smiled, and looked at the back of Houghton's head.

_Told you._

Then, the group passed a well lit room with some radio equipment inside. Dr. Meijer slowed down.

"Hey, we might be able to use some of that!" He exclaimed, entering the room. Sure enough, scattered throughout the room were devices that could receive and transmit signals via one of the topside antennas.

"I doubt it," Dr. Thomson argued, following him in. "It would serve us no useful purpose at this point."

The others entered the room behind them. Lexine softly said, "We could use it to call for help."

"That wouldn't work," Sergeant Houghton said. "Code red is in effect, and—"

-I have just been notified that C.A.C.-E. has been escalated to code black,- the suit cut him off.

Instead of getting angry for the interruption, he continued, "Even more so. I'm the best 'help' you'll get."

"Code black?" Faustine asked. "Never heard of it."

"Basically," Dr. Thomson explained, "it means there is a…situation down here that cannot be controlled or contained, so a secret but powerful wing of the military will send in some specialty soldiers to plant a bomb or something to destroy the facility. Doesn't matter if we are still in it, in fact, if any of us are in the way, or in view, they'll shoot!"

_Oh, joy_, Lexine worried.

"Well, we can still transmit signals," Dr. Meijer offered. The others thought about it for a moment.

"Your right," Dr. Thomson sat down in a chair. "If the rest of the world is being affected by this, they deserve to know why."

-The 'rest of the world' is currently under attack by an unknown, but very powerful foe. Without doubt, we have caused it,- the suit said.

"What do you mean we caused it?" Lexine asked, frantic.

-From the descriptions I am hearing on news networks, the hostiles attacking this planet are an advanced alien species. Their ship descriptions match the photographed one I took perfectly-

"Yes, about that," Dr. Thomson said, "can we download those pictures now?"

-Certainly. I am sending them to the terminal there,- the suit pointed Lexine's arm at a to a console on the wall near some of the equipment. Dr. Thomson walked over to it, and began pressing buttons and looking at the screen.

"Ah, come look at this," he said, pointing at the screen. The rest of the bunch came over to it, and saw a large black object, covering up some stars in the distance.

"That's the ship I saw," Lexine noted.

"I can't see anything," Houghton complained.

Dr. Thomson pressed a few more buttons, and the ship was 'highlighted'. "Here it is," he outlined it with his fingers.

-My readings indicate that it's the same ship currently hanging over the United States. It is massive; hundreds of miles long, and not the only ship in the alien fleet-

"I still don't understand how we caused them to come here," the guard scratched her head.

Dr. Meijer answered, "The dimensional rift we created could have created enough portals to accidentally suck through a passing fleet in Xen."

-Not possible. A series of portals were used to bring the fleet through, each carefully planned and sized. There is only one possible answer; we helped them get here, but the aliens knew they were coming here all along, and did most of the work-

Dr. Stapleton felt a slight relief, knowing that the chaos wasn't one hundred percent her fault, but she still felt a heavy guilt inside of her.

-I also recorded a few seconds of video footage, and have uploaded them as well-

Dr. Thomson closed the image of the ship, adding it to the master databanks first. Then, he opened the video that the suit had made, and played it.

It showed a view of small white dots swirling around, and stopped just as a black figure entered the picture. "That's the big ship again," Dr. Meijer pointed out.

"But wait," Dr. Thomson leaned in to the terminal on the wall. He then tapped on one of the 'stars', and zoomed the image up to it. As he got closer, the white dot turned out to be not a star at all, but the engine of another ship. "Oh my lord, those aren't stars, those are other ships."

The group crowded around the screen, and sure enough, each white dot was another ship in the alien fleet.

"There must be millions!" Sergeant Houghton exclaimed.

-There are,- the suit answered.

"Are there _any_ real stars in the picture?" Guard Vernon asked.

As Dr. Thomson zoomed up on each white dot, he found not a single star. "Looks like these aliens are just floating in the middle of nowhere."

"Fascinating," Dr. Meijer mumbled to himself.

"So, are you telling me that the ships that were attacking me on the surface, are just a few of MILLIONS now attacking this planet?" Sergeant Houghton asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Dr. Thomson admitted.

"And YOU caused all this?" The soldier got angry, and shouted at Lexine. Her eyes went wide, and she almost broke down in tears.

"We don't need to point fingers now," Dr. Meijer said, trying to cool him down. He backed off, still angered.

"It's all of our faults," Dr. Thomson said, "except Fredrick. We should have listened to that guy."

"So, should we still tell the world why this is happening?" Dr. Meijer asked.

"Yes, by all means," Faustine answered, "we need to tell them!"

Sergeant Houghton shrugged his shoulders, not caring one way or the other, but still angry.

"What do you think, Dr. Stapletion?" Dr. Meijer fiddled with some of the equipment.

"I don't know," she almost whispered. "It could make people angry."

Sergeant Houghton glared at her, and she instantly knew that she had chosen the wrong words. She quivered inside her suit.

"That's a risk we'd better be ready to take, people need to know this," Dr. Meijer got a microphone ready.

-I have calibrated the radio equipment to broadcast on all known frequencies. You may begin when ready-

Dr. Meijer took a deep breath, and everyone gathered around him. All were silent, and then he began. "This is the Black Mesa Research Facility…"

THIRTY MILLION YEARS AGO

An endless stream of evacuation ships sped away from the Luumaothican home world, activating their phase drives. The high counsel of leaders were on one of the ships, and they observed with shock and horror as their star, growing more and more unstable, finally exploded in a magnificent supernova. The destructive force spanned outward, and obliterated their world and the millions of still planet-side Luumaothicans, along with the beautiful cities that covered the surface. The last remaining evacuation ships quickly flew away from the destruction as the rest of their solar system was consumed.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

The rusted, partially destroyed pickup truck had now slowed, and was still travelling through the dark forest.

"Do you have any idea where you are going?" Kurtiss asked his friend.

Josh shrugged a response. "I was hoping to get back on a road, but this forest is disorienting. I'm just looking for landmarks."

He nodded in agreement, and then turned over to Wilbert. "You alright back there?"

"I'm fine," he replied. "Hey, does this car have a radio?"

"It sure does," Kurtiss located the flashlight again, and started fiddling with the radio.

"Kurt, I don't think you're going to find anything," Josh said, still driving.

Suddenly, a voice came out of the radio. "This is the Black Mesa Research Facility—"

"STOP!" Wilbert screamed. Kurtiss yanked his hand back from the radio, and Josh slammed on the breaks.

"Jeeze, we almost—" Josh began to speak, but Wilbert quickly shushed him. In the darkness, the only light came from the flashlight Kurtiss held and the forward facing headlights. The three gathered around the radio and listened.

"—United States. We don't know exactly what is going on out there in the world, but we do know one thing." There was a short pause, and then the voice continued, "We caused it. We didn't intentionally create this resonance cascade, but it did ultimately resonate from our facility."

_What? _Kurtiss thought in confusion.

"This is Dr. Meijer, the lead of the test."

_I knew that name sounded familiar!_ Wilbert thought.

"This is D-Dr. Stapleton, I was in the test," a shaky female voice spoke.

The male voice returned, "Dr. Aretino is no longer with us, and Dr. Fredrick was removed from the facility not long ago. We are telling you this just in case it could be of any use to you, or if anyone is pointing fingers. It is ultimately the alien's fault, but sadly, we helped it. If at all possible, stay away from Nevada, as far as possible. Stay away from any strange looking anomalies, as these most likely are a concentration of 'tears' in our dimension. In other words, you could get sucked into another universe. Any creatures you find are most likely hostile—"

There was a pause, and then, "—unless they have three legs and an array of eye like organs. Those are docile, but otherwise, the aliens are extremely hostile."

_Already knew that,_ Josh remarked to himself.

"And if Dr. Fredrick is out there hearing this, please, we are very sorry we did not listen to you. I know there is no way for us to redeem ourselves, but we need to continue working together. This is Dr. Meijer, signing off." Static followed, and then Kurtiss switched off the radio.

The three sat in the truck silent, listening to the rustle of the tree branches, occasional noises in the distance, and the low but audible roar of the monstrosity above them.

"That…was unexpected, "Josh finally said, starting to drive the truck again.

"Yeah," Kurtiss said, trying to shed some light on the situation, "I bet that was just some guy making stuff up to sound cool."

"No," Wilbert mumbled, "I felt something. Something deep in my mind started to stir, but I just can't grasp it."

"Well, keep thinking buddy," Kurtiss patted him on the shoulder.

The alien commander surveyed all of his equipment, looking for anything else that needed to be done. A transmission then came through from a pilot, alerting him to a human vehicle in the nearby woodland area that had evaded destruction. The Luumaothican smiled, loving when a lesser creature thought they had escaped just to destroy them in a single shot.

It understood why the smaller ship could no longer fire on it, being in a forest with ample specimens, so instead, it locked on to the vehicle and loaded a pod full of plasma. It would be launched at the vehicle with accuracy, and then unleash its payload like a shotgun.

With a few motions with its 'fingers', the projectile had been launched.

Wilbert was now lying on his back, pointing the flashlight upward at the massive alien ship. In the total darkness, the light slightly illuminated large area, but that was all.

Josh was still driving the car, now picking up speed a small amount. Suddenly, a deer darted in front of their path. "AH!"

He violently swerved the car to the left, missing the animal. Then, a loud blast was heard from behind. Tiny globs of the burning hot substance went flying in all directions, setting that part of the forest, and part of the truck alight.

"Get out, get out!" Kurtiss shouted at the unmoving, seemingly paralyzed Wilbert. Josh slammed on the breaks, but realizing that the truck had been struck by multiple projectiles, thought it hopeless. He leapt out of the truck, and quickly got back up to help Kurtiss out.

Kurtiss grabbed Wilbert by the shoulders and shook him violently. He did not respond. He then threw him out of the car, and then Kurtiss jumped out himself. The truck, finally crippled from the intense heat, exploded, sending more burning fragments through the forest.

As Josh and Kurtiss tried to find each other, Wilbert lie on the forest floor, looking up at the burning branches. The truck's explosion sounded like it occurred a mile away, underwater. In the chaos, he lie there, trying to think.

Briefly, he felt a sharp pain inside his head. Then, he blacked out, and fell into a deep sleep.

"_Welcome to Sector C, Dr. Fredrick," a scientist said. Wilbert knew him to be Dr. Meijer._

"_We look forward to having you work with us," another scientist spoke. He was Dr. Aretino._

"_You will be working in the Anomalous Materials Lab," Dr. Meijer said. "You must be very excited to see chamber C – three three A, and its famous testing module."_

_He remembered it perfectly. He was very excited. He was munching on some beef tidbits that he had gotten from the local vending machine. They were a bit too salty for his taste._

_The three entered the control room. He saw the orange test chamber through a small open 'window'. He then looked at the equipment and computers. He punched a few buttons, and looked over some readings._

"_This is no good," he said, surprising the other scientists. "This won't work. If you put the crystal provided to you through this test, it won't be able to stabilize. You'll create a resonance cascade!"_

"_We assure you, nothing will go wrong. The man providing the crystal looked it over himself. He says that the chamber will work perfectly," Dr. Meijer argued._

_He decided to stay quiet for now._

_A short time later, Dr. Fredrick was in an H.E.V. suit mark four. After finally being alone, he told it, "I need you to take orders from me exactly when I say it. Do not take orders from anyone else."_

_-Understood- it replied._

_Then, he proceeded to the vending machine, and started selecting different foods. He read the contents carefully, knowing which ones could cause the most damage when combined properly. Then, he opened them, and dumped each pouch's contents into a compartment on his suit._

"_Puree, dissolve, and then combine these substances, suit," he ordered. The suit did so with a few mechanical noises, and then the thin paste was ejected from the bottom of the compartment. He captured it all in the largest food bag, and then proceeded to the test chamber._

_He got the suit to override the security features, and was finally in the large orange room. He climbed the ladder to the control panel in the chamber, and then examined the side of the terminal there. He found a metal plate he could remove, and, with the help of his suit, did just that._

_He then proceeded to pull out different wires, successfully sabotaging the control consol, but he was just getting started. He pulled out two sparking wires, and then took out the substance the suit had helped him create._

"_He's in there!" A security guard shouted from the control room. Wilbert knew his time was running short._

_He poured a small amount of the substance onto the catwalk he was on, and then made a thin trail from there to the central part of the chamber. He dumped the rest of the bag into a hole in the center, and dropped the bag itself down into it._

_Then, he climbed back up to the catwalk, and placed the two wires into the substance while safely balanced on the handrail._

"_In here!" He could hear shouts from just outside the blast doors, which he had cleverly sealed._

_The substance ignited, and sent a trail of fire down to the center of the room, ending in the bottom of the chamber. The fire burned for a few moments, until smoke started rising, and he could hear and see sparks from the center of the chamber._

_They won't be creating a dimensional rift anytime soon, he thought._

_Just then, the master blast doors opened, and a dozen security guards walked into the chamber. "Stop right there!" One shouted._

_Wilbert was already having too much fun. From the catwalk, he leapt with the power of the suit, and charged through the air at the group. They split just at the sight of him, but then a familiar scientist stepped forward._

_It was Dr. Thomson, and he was holding a small device of some sort. With a push of a button, the suit overloaded its own electronics, both destroying its functionality, and stunning the user: Wilbert. His limp, unconscious body was thrown against the back of the airlock._

_When Wilbert awoke, he was strapped to a hard, metal chair. In front of him were three lights, the first, green one lit._

"_Do you have any idea how many millions of dollars you just cost us?" A man behind him said. He tried to turn his head around to see him, but it too was clamped in._

"_Do you have any idea how many lives could be lost as a result of using that machine?" Wilbert countered._

"_The machine will work perfectly," he said._

"_Perfectly what?" Dr. Fredrick yelled. "Perfect in that it creates a resonance cascade?"_

_The man behind him chuckled, and then pressed a few buttons on a keypad. The green light went off, and a yellow one turned on._

"_By the time you see red, you'll never remember this place again."_

"_Yes I will!" Wilbert shouted. "It's not that easy to wipe my mind!"_

_The man behind him chuckled again, and then walked out of the room. The last thing he remembered was the clicks of his fancy shoes, until his brain started aching and the light turned red._

Wilbert slowly came back to consciousness. The first thing he felt was warmth, and then heard the crackling of a fire. He opened his eyes to find that Kurtiss, Josh, and he were all sitting around a campfire, although he was lying on his side. He sat up, and rubbed his head.

"Wilbert, you're up!" Josh noticed, moving over to him. "You feel alright? Kurt said that you were knocked out cold."

"Yeah I'm fine," he said. Then, he remembered the 'dream' he had. He remembered everything about it, and other things too. "I'm great!"

Then, Wilbert stood, and took the folded packed of information out of his pocket. Without taking another look at it, he threw it into the fire. "What are you doing?" Kurtiss got up.

"Total lies," he smiled. "The only true thing in it is my first name. But my last is Fredrick. I remember now."

"Hey," Josh started connecting pieces of the puzzle, "wasn't that the guy mentioned on the radio?"

Wilbert's smile was wiped off his face. Then, he clenched his hands into fists, and pounded one into a tree. "Yes," he angrily replied, "yes I'm that guy."

"What?" Kurtiss asked, still oblivious.

"I could have prevented all this!" He grunted. "I tried to, but those crackpot scientists were certain that the test would work 'perfectly'. It did work perfectly; it created a resonance cascade perfectly!"

"Settle down," Josh said, trying to keep him from getting too worked up.

"I told them," Wilbert folded his arms, "I told them what would happen, and I was right. I even told them that they couldn't erase my memory, and I was right."

"What are you talking about?" Kurtiss was still confused. "Who's 'they'?"

Wilbert sat down, and so did the other two friends. "Okay, Dr. Meijer on the radio was a little fast, so I'm going to go over this nice and slow. Black Mesa Research Facility, somewhere in Nevada, is a government funded complex that works on…different projects. Many of which would normally be illegal."

"Their latest project is faster than light travel. Creation of wormholes; portals. Their test involved pushing a Xen crystal into a beam, and observing the effect it had on the surrounding space. I was concerned that the 'effect' would be too great to contain, and that it would tear a hole in the 'fabric' that keeps dimensions separate. I was right."

"So basically," Kurtiss said, "you told them that they would create an alien portal or whatever, they didn't listen, and wiped your mind just because of that?"

Wilbert sighed. "When they didn't listen, I tried to sabotage their main device. It almost worked, but they caught me, _attempted_ to wipe my memory, and then fixed the chamber. Whoever ended up doing that test must be the dumbest scientist down there."

"I wouldn't say that," Josh said. "Those scientists just didn't know what they got their hands on. That doesn't mean they're dumb."

"Yes it does," the former scientist said. "I am smart, and I saw the danger. They did not see the danger, so they are not smart."

Josh dropped the subject, and told him to continue.

"So anyway," Dr. Fredrick continued his story, "a dimensional rift, or resonance cascade, will eventually die down. Nature will work against it all the way, and end up fixing the 'holes' in our universe."

"We still have a little problem," Kurtiss pointed at the sky.

Wilbert nodded. "Yes, we do have a little problem."

"So," Josh asked, "did you figure out what that ring means?"

"Oh, this?" Wilbert took the ring off his finger, and tossed it into the fire. "Total lie. The only thing true in the packet was my first name, and that's the only thing they left in my mind. Create one connection so I believe the rest."

"Uh," Kurtiss looked at Wilbert, stunned. "We could have at least sold that."

"For what, money?" Wilbert chuckled. "Right now we need a gun, ammo, and a new truck. I don't think anyone would be willing to give us any of those."

"We have the first two covered," Josh turned to Kurtiss, "you got the gun, right?"

Kurtiss gave him a blank stare. "I thought you got it?"

Josh moaned, and then put his face in his hands. "Just kidding," he pulled it out from behind his back. "I got it."

He chuckled, and then lightly punched Kurtiss in the arm. "Kurt, if you were a student of mine, I would see you more at detentions than in class."

"That's 'cause I'm your favorite," he smiled.

"Sure," Josh responded.

Jian looked down at the two sleeping guests he had, and then looked out of his store. The city was dark, and silent.

_Not safe, must leave city._

He then quickly paced into the upper level of his store to where he lived, and brought back down a long item. He set it on the counter, and then turned his attention to his guests, wondering how to wake them.

"Must wake up," he said, a bit too softly. He bent down, and shook the doctor. "Wake up!"

Althea moved a little, opened her eyes, and then sat up. She yawned, and then asked, "How long was I asleep?"

"Not long. I decide we must leave city. Getting dangerous. Wake the youngster."

Althea gently awoke Rachael, and the young girl moaned. "I don't feel good."

Dr. Sarris felt her forehead. "This isn't good. The symptoms I observed back at the hospital indicate that she only has a cold."

Jian shrugged. "Cold turn into something worse?"

"Viruses don't just 'do' that," she disagreed. "They change fast, but don't turn into something new in a half hour."

Jian dropped the subject, and turned his attention to the object that he had brought downstairs with him.

"Come on, get up," she said to the child. Then, she saw the item lying on the counter. "Is that a…sword?"

"Yes," Jian smiled, unsheathing it to inspect it. "I am skilled with it."

Althea was impressed. "I thought samurai sword wielding was a Japanese art."

"Sword is not samurai," he looked at her, "still sharp."

"I'm not sure what good it would be against space ships." She remembered the attacking entities earlier that day.

"Even if unused, would rather keep with me. It is prized possession; high quality, priceless."

Hopeful, she asked, "But you said that you could use it?"

"Yes, I am skilled with it," Jian said for a second time. "Now we must move. For tending my injuries, you may each have one jewel. No more."

Althea thanked him, and then told Rachael. The small girl chose a necklace with a dangling ruby, while Dr. Sarris just selected a plain looking bracelet.

Jian then picked up the sword and case, and then slid it between his belt and tan pants. "Let's go," he motioned them over to the door-less door frame.

Once outside, there was a little more light, but you still could not see very far. "This way," Jian led them left down a sidewalk, obviously knowing the city better than the doctor.

Suddenly, the three started hearing footsteps, approaching from behind. They were very quick, and were getting closer. Jian put his hand on the handle of the sword, and moved between the approaching entity and the two women.

The approaching creature could not be seen until it was only a few feet away. It looked like it was a human at one time, but had a small four legged creature attached to its head. Its chest was ripped open, showing broken ribs and dysfunctional organs.

This zombified creature was only two feet away from Jian when he drew his sword. With one motion, he pulled the sword from the scabbard, and sliced through the neck of the creature. He stepped aside and replaced his sword as the head and body fell to the ground.

"See? Sword come to use," Jian resumed leading the two out of the city.

Normally, a child such as Rachael would be horribly frightened from the event, but the small girl seemed not to notice. She started falling slightly behind, so in fear that she might get lost, Dr. Sarris picked her up and carried the girl in her arms.

After traveling no further than a block or two, Jian's keen senses heard approaching creatures. This time, it was easily recognizable that there was more than one. Drawing his sword, he said, "Stay close. Might get bloody."

As the 'zombies' came into view, he could now see that there were many, approaching from both ends of the street. Some moved slower than others, while a few were bigger, with multiple creatures on them, and moved very quickly.

Seeing that there were too many to fight off at once, Jian shouted, "Go, GO!"

The two adults, one carrying a child, took off down the sidewalk. There were more zombies up ahead. A larger zombie was keeping up with the two, and then leapt at Jian. The Chinese man whipped out his sword, did a summersault on his side, rolled with the sword still swinging through the air, and then bounced back to his feet. This maneuver managed to dodge the zombie's attack, and slice it in two at the same time.

Another, normal sized zombie took a swing at Althea with its sharpened claws. She ducked out of the way, and continued running. Jian was quick to respond, and with two slashes of his sword, the creature fell.

He then quickened his pace to catch up to the doctor and child, only slowing down to behead a zombie that had gotten in his way.

"Almost out of city!" He yelled over the racket. Another zombie, stood a few meters away from the advancing humans, this one dripping with an acidic substance that was corroding the very ground on which it stood. Jian sped up to meet this new zombie first, and kicked it in the face.

Another zombie approached from behind, so, before retracting his kick, he whipped out his sword, and sliced the creature in two. He punched another zombie on the top of its 'head' before spinning around to decapitate two more monsters.

Althea was trying to keep up with her powerful protector, but he had already gone too far ahead. Just as a larger zombie was about to take a chunk out of the unsuspecting doctor, a bullet whizzed through the air, and struck the zombie in the side.

Jian saw this event, and continued hacking away at the zombies. More bullets followed, picking off a few creatures.

Then, Dr. Sarris saw lights at the end of the round, and the sound of engines. Appearing from the darkness, more than two dozen military vehicles sped down the street. A few stopped, and started unloading troops.

A soldier atop a jeep with a megaphone saw the three, now huddled close together and fighting off zombies from all angles. "We see you," the soldier said, amplified loud enough for them to hear. "Just stay where you are, we'll be there in a moment."

While Althea was infinitely thankful for the approaching rescue, Jian was more disappointed. He was almost having fun, not ever before needed to use his fencing and martial art skills.

Ending both their thoughts, the alien ship above saw the approaching military vehicles, and opened fire. More grey projectiles rained down from it, incinerating and combusting the vehicles. None survived, and the few troops that had escaped the wreckage were quickly eliminated by the zombies and plasma projectiles.

"Quickly!" Jian shouted, knowing that the city's population offered more zombies than they could fight off in a week. "Must keep going!"

"Are you crazy?" Althea shouted back, seeing how nothing was surviving in the rain of fire.

"Use firestorm for cover," the sword wielding man said, still defending himself, the doctor, and the child from zombies. "Zombies can't follow us."

Choosing not to argue, Althea ran with Jian towards the military vehicles, or at least, what was left of them. They ran down the sidewalk to the side, reducing the risk of getting killed while not entirely losing the cover they gained through it.

A zombie stood in front of their path a little ways down, but a burning_ moving _vehicle swerved off the road, and smashed it into a building. Jian altered his course, leading Dr. Sarris into the middle of the road. Jian saw a troop transport in flames, with burning carcasses scattered throughout. He picked up a machine gun, and strapped it to his back, knowing that it may come in use.

Now the advancing party could see the end of the city, although the advancing fleet of vehicles did not stop, along with their destruction. They continued anyway, moving now to the left side sidewalk. Then, they reached the outskirts of the city, and started running down a road leading to it. This one didn't have any cars of trucks on it, although it did have molten asphalt, as if it was being shot at. A forest was nearby, and Jian could see a small light in it.

"Here, this way," he slowed his progress, and led the two into the forest.

"This fresh air should help you, Rachael," she tried to think of the positive. The child was almost in a daze in her arms, hardly noticing the situation that they had just escaped from. "That was some impressive moves back there."

Jian shrugged. "Very useful for defense. Gun shoot in straight line," he then realized that he was still holding his sword. He sheathed it, and continued, "I attack from any angle. I pick up weapon, though, so you can help next time."

Althea looked at him, concerned, and then he started laughing. "Not serious, just useful to have."

Dr. Sarris smiled, thankful that the man could joke.

The human fleet of military vehicles, attempting to liberate the city, was now dealt with. The alien commander had fired a very small percentage of the turrets on his ship to destroy them, and was almost disappointed that they had fallen so easily. The real frustration came with the additional two humans that had escaped the city alive. The more spread out they were, the harder they were to track down and exterminate.

_Let them feel safe_, the Luumaothican thought, not doubting his own race's supreme power.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Sarah finally, albeit slowly, got herself off the floor. She now was in possession of a fully functional portal gun. She would have been more excited had she not just narrowly escaped death.

Oswald, up in the observation chamber had seen this test chamber before, but he finally had enough. He angrily typed a line of text to GLaDOS reading, 'What is this? This isn't science at all, this is murder!'

'This _is_ a cognitive and physical ability test. All test subjects are aware of the danger before beginning.'

'And all test subjects _die_! We haven't accomplished anything!'

The computer replied, 'Yes we have, at least _I_ have. Analyzing human reactions is a fascinating field of study.'

Oswald gave up arguing, and stood dumbfounded. As he prepared to leave the chamber, he thought, _At least Sarah will probably be the last subject to go through these 'test' chambers._

He picked up the prototype, and started making his way to the next observation chamber.

After a few seconds of travel, the elevator stopped, and Sarah strode out, recovered. She took a moment to look at the wall display.

_Chamber seven, ninety one deaths, three point four one percent; I got this._

Below was a picture of a stick man getting hit by a cube, killed by a laser, at a laboratory desk.

-Now that you have a fully functional portal gun, the following test chambers will become increasingly difficult, sometimes with more than one way to solve. If you become dehydrated or hungry, remember that…PEACH…pie will be served along with a full course meal upon successful completion of the tests. No other foods or drinks will be provided until then-

Sarah proceeded to the end of the hallway, and into a medium sized room. At the opposite end was a door, leading to the next elevator. The only way in was through a short, topless glass corridor, with a blue field across it. In the corridor was a large button, with a power strip leading to both the door and, she noticed after walking further into the room, two lasers, each at the back of opposite walls in the chamber. A mirror was positioned at either side of the hallway through which she had entered, that would direct the lasers into the escape corridor. After 'eye-balling' the angle of the mirrors, she concluded that there was no way to go through the hallway if they were active.

On the side of the room was a laser pointing at a concrete wall, but on the same side was a receiving dish opposite another concrete wall. Getting that to work out would be no problem for her.

The dish's power strip also led to the escape door, indicating that it required two inputs to activate. All the walls were concrete, so she could place portals anywhere, with the exception of inside the glass corridor, as there was not enough room.

In the middle of the ceiling was a box dropper, positioned above the estimated intersection point of _all three_ lasers. A hand-operated button was off to the side of the room, with a strip leading to the emancipation field, the laser in the middle of the wall, and the box dropper.

_Okay…_

She decided to first try and press the button. She walked over to it and did so, and four things happened. First, the box dropper dropped a box. Second, the wall laser activated, striking the top of the box and going no further. Third, the emancipation grip turned red, and lastly, a timer started ticking loudly.

The last event made her stop, and analyze her surroundings. After about ten seconds, the timer stopped, the laser shut down, the emancipation field turned purple again, and then it quickly moved across the glass corridor, like it was on a hydraulic. Sarah knew that if there had been a cube on that button, it would have been vaporized. Then, the storage cube itself, vaporized, as if it had a device installed inside of it.

She thought out the test chamber in her head, remembering how red fields make lasers safe, and then went into action.

First, she pressed the button, and the timer began. Then, she placed a portal under the cube, and an orange one over the button in the open glass chamber. The cube fell through the portal, and onto the button.

The button activated stage one of opening the door, and both lasers on opposite sides of the wall. As they passed through the now red field, they themselves turned yellow, and were harmless to flesh.

Sarah placed another blue portal under her feet, and fell through it. Before falling into the glass chamber, while still falling through the air, she placed an orange portal in the path of the laser, (a blue one would direct the laser to shine down above her head,) and another portal on the wall opposite the dish.

The laser activated the dish, and the door opened. Sarah landed safely on the cube, and looked down to see that the yellow lasers were shining on her legs like flashlights, not harming her in any way.

Realizing that if she did not act fast, the field would once again turn blue, and the lasers would dismember her legs before the box could be destroyed, she spun around, and ran past the door. A second after clearing it, the field turned blue, and the lasers going through it regained their destructive power. The laser activating the dish also deactivated, closing the door behind her.

Sarah was now in a completely metal corridor, with another blue field at the end, in front of an elevator. She quickly proceeded into it, and let it take her to the next chamber.

Oswald, from the control chamber, was impressed. He walked over to the computer and typed, 'Did she just break a record?'

'Not quite. Another few subjects did it faster, but she still passed with an exceptional mark,' the computer replied.

'There are twenty of these things, right?' Oswald asked, not wanting Sarah to be flying past death any longer than she had to.

'Correct,' GLaDOS answered. 'Once you have left, do you have any ideas on what I should do?'

Not realizing that computers could get 'bored', he typed, 'I have no idea. Just keep a low profile to prevent being destroyed by the hacker.'

'Wouldn't it be safer just to send me somewhere else digitally?'

He thought about it for a moment. 'Yes, that's a very good idea. Let me think for a moment.'

Oswald thought about all the places that could support GLaDOS, and didn't come up with any. Then, he got a far-fetched idea, that surprised even himself. 'GLaDOS, I believe that there is only one other computer in the _world_ that can support you. I am sending you there.'

As he brought up the necessary controls to do so, the AI asked, 'Where might that be?'

He smiled. 'You'll find out when you get there.'

'That probably means I won't approve,' were the supercomputer's last 'words' before being packaged, and digitally sent to another computer, hundreds of miles away…

1R3N3 and CA51M1R0 emerged from their drop pods, each equipped with their high precision, silenced, and invisible laser sighted pistols. They pulled red goggles down onto their eyes, allowing them to see the lasers and in the dark, and provide tactical readouts and new orders. On their backs were two halves of the antimatter bomb, each capable of destroying the facility if detonated separately.

If only for a brief instant, the two looked up, and saw something out of the ordinary. Multiple unknown vessels swarmed above the Black Mesa research facility, working on a construction of some sort. The huge tower of black metal they were working on was extending into the sky, at least the height of the tallest skyscraper. And they weren't close to completion by sheer number of construction ships working on it.

The two black ops did not give that a second thought. It did not interfere with their mission objectives, as they were told go down into the facility, not above it, and they were given no order about the structure itself. They activated their cloaking modules, and silently sprinted towards the facility.

Sarah walked out of the elevator as the illuminated display flashed to life. It was test chamber eight, there were seventy four deaths, and that was two point seven seven percent of all subjects. There was a stick man at a school desk, a stick man entering one portal and then flying out of one on the wall, a stick man drowning in the hazardous liquid that Sarah had previously encountered, and finally, a stick man landing on his head, resulting in a neck position that did not look normal.

She walked to the end of the hallway, and surveyed the room. Oswald was still traveling on foot to the observation room, but would be there shortly. In the large room she was in, there was a concrete floor, concrete walls, and a large pit of the liquid, too big to jump over. On the other side, all the walls were metal, so there could be no easy 'portalling' over.

Then, she remembered how portals conserved momentum, and got an idea. She placed a portal high above the wall on the other side of the pit, and then a few steps away from her. She leapt into the floor portal, and came out of the wall portal at a pretty good speed – but not good enough. She landed a few meters away from the floor portal, and sighed.

She placed another portal under her feet to try again. Sarah fell through it, and came right out of the one above. Then, something she did not see coming happened. She landed right on the floor portal she had created, causing her to be launched out of the wall portal at a high speed. She sailed over the pit, and landed on her feet on the other side.

_Now that's cool._

She turned left, looking where the test chamber was leading her, and noticed that she had to pass through a blue field. She did so, and then saw another pit, which she would need to cross. However, this pit did not have anything hazardous in it. It only had two sections of concrete floor, one a full wall tile higher than the other. All the walls in the chamber were metal, with the exception of the platforms in the pit.

Sarah realized what she had to do, and placed a portal on each of the platforms. Then, she jumped into the lower one, and came out the higher one with an added velocity. After firing her portal gun at the metal wall a few times to adjust her direction, she landed soundly on the other side of the pit.

Oswald had just reached the observation room, and then sighed as he saw Sarah make the turn in the test chamber. He left the room again, and started to proceed to the next chamber, and then heard a noise.

"Who's there?" He shouted, spinning around. He held the prototype like a rifle, ready to use it. Then, a small circular device came out of the wall, and shined a blue beam at Oswald.

He aimed for it, and started to squeeze the trigger, but he was too late. A tranquilization dart was launched at him, striking him perfectly in the neck. He fell to the ground, and lie there for a moment until assistance androids were deployed to escort him to test chamber nine 'B'.

After a series of jumps and maneuvers, Sarah had finally cleared the final challenge in the test chamber. Before she entered the elevator, however, she saw a panel that had been pushed out of the wall by a metal pipe a small distance. She looked behind it, and saw a poorly lit room with garbage littered on the ground. She squeezed behind the moved tiles, and looked inside.

What she saw took her very thoughts away. In blood, multiple people had written all over the wall. Some messages said, 'help', others, 'the cake is a lie,' and more said, 'I was promised a brownie,' or 'I was promised a pie.'

On one wall, she saw a large list of tallies, presumable counting off days. The first ones were neat and straight, and as they neared the bottom, they were sloppy, crooked, and merging. Outdated science posters littered the room.

_What?_

Knowing she needed to move on, she squeezed out of the room, and headed for the elevator. However, what she had seen in that room got her thinking about the test chambers, the subjects, and Aperture Science as a whole.

-In test chamber nine,- the hacker spoke through GLaDOS's 'lips', -you will receive a weighted companion cube. It will be of great value to you in completing the chamber, and many test subjects grow fond of their cubes. Remember that the companion cube cannot speak, but in case it does, disregard its advice, as it is probably a hallucination-

Sarah walked right past the lighted display, wanting to get this chamber, and all that followed, over with as soon as possible. She entered a small room, with a single door and large button connected via power strip, and a box dropper to the side. Upon entering, and the box dropper released what looked like a normal storage cube, but this one had hearts on it instead of the Aperture Science logo.

"Ow!" A voice yelled from within the cube after it hit the ground. Sarah rushed over to it, and put her ear to the metal.

"Who said that? Is anyone in there?"

"S-Sarah?" A confused voice asked.

"Mr. Colek!" Sarah exclaimed, looking over the cube.

"Well, I guess we're in this together," he said from within the small box.

"I was told that the cube couldn't speak, but I believe that you're in there."

"Wait a minute," Oswald said, "try tipping the cube on its side. I wonder if this is just a voice box attached to a microphone in a small_ room_ I was put in."

She pushed the cube over, and Oswald felt the motion, and sudden stopping on the floor. She tapped on one side, and he heard that too. "Ugh, yes, I'm in here," he grunted.

Sarah set the cube back 'upright', and then scratched her head. "Well, how'd you get in there?"

"I really don't know," he replied. "I was proceeding to the next observation chamber when a tranquilization turret deployed! Then, uh, now I am in a very small dark place, the size of this box. I guess _this_ is where they put me."

Sarah was confused. "Did the hacker do this?"

"I guess so," he answered, "but were this a 'normal' day, it would have been done anyway. But I don't know, I've seen subjects talking to their cubes, but I never thought that there could have been a person in one of them."

The subject stood. "Well, the sooner we finish the chamber, the better." She aimed the portal gun at the cube, and then activated the portal gun's levitation systems. The cube floated in the air, and she slowly brought it over to the button. Upon resting it, the door ahead of her opened. The walls were concrete on both sides, however, so she created a portal in either room. Picking up the cube, she proceeded into the adjacent room with the companion cube.

The chamber turned right, but before proceeding, Sarah noticed a thin red beam of light; a turret.

The hallway containing it was metal, so she couldn't tip it over with a portal. After quickly glancing down it, she concluded that she could not run over to it before it could shoot. Sarah realized that the only way was to use the cube for protection.

Using the portal gun to keep the cube directly in front of her, she slowly started moving down the metal hallway.

-Activated,- the turret beeped, before unleashing a barrage of bullets at the cube. Sarah remained crouched, and slowly approached it.

"I hear bullet impacts, are you alright?" Oswald asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she spoke loudly enough for him to hear. "I'm using you as a shield, if you don't mind."

She finally reached the turret, and slammed the cube into it. It fell on its side, and showered the wall with bullets. The few that had strayed hit only the cube, which Sarah had left guarding her body.

The hallway turned left and led into another, larger room. The first thing Sarah did was locate an exit; at the left side of the chamber was a door, linked to a button and a strange apparatus that she had never seen before. The new device was linked to a dish, whose laser was positioned on the back wall.

The laser was aimed at a mirror on the opposite wall, that when angled down, would direct it into the concrete floor where a portal could take it to the receiving dish.

There was another small room, 'carved' into the wall opposite of the hallway in which Sarah had entered by. She gently set down her companion cube, and used portals to reach it. Inside was another small room with a large button. It was behind a red particle field, which had an energy strip leading down to the button by the exit door. The button behind the field had a strip leading to the mirror on the wall.

In the small room was also a hand operated button that activated the laser. Sarah knew how this would play out; put the cube on the button in the room she was in, and create portals for the laser to follow, and finally activate the laser. However, when she saw the red energy field, she hit a roadblock.

She reentered the portal she had used to achieve access to the room, and tapped on the cube. "Hey, Oswald? This chamber doesn't look easy. Any advice?'

Before he could reply, the hacker activated GLaDOS's voice, saying, "The weighted companion cube cannot speak. If the weighted companion cube does speak, disregard its advice. Any attempt to follow its advice will result in weighted companion cube vaporization,- its tone altered, -along with the weight-

"I better keep quiet then," Oswald glumly said.

Sarah picked up the cube, and walked over to the button near the door. Upon resting the cube on it, she didn't notice anything change or happen. However, upon 'portalling' up to the small room, she discovered that the red field had turned purple.

She went back to the cube, and thought for a moment. Then, getting an idea, she lifted the cube with her portal gun, she stood on the button, and moved the cube into the small room. Still levitating it with the portal gun, she moved it away from the now purple energy field, and then swung the cube at it. The cube landed perfectly on the button, and the mirror on the wall extended, and then angled down.

"Ugh, I don't know what you just did but I'm taking quite a beating in here," Oswald's voice sounded from the box.

Sarah chuckled, and then walked through the portal and into the small room. She pressed the button with her hand, and then made a portal under the mirror, and above the dish. The laser was directed perfectly, and the new apparatus did something.

Then, she turned her attention back to Oswald in the cube. He was behind a red field, and then she smacked her head.

_Stupid, stupid! You were supposed to put the cube on the box, set up the laser, and then leave your portal gun on the ground to activate the button with your own weight!_

She started nervously pacing back and forth, biting her nails. The hacker laughed, knowing that she was about to fail the test by trapping herself.

"Uh, Oswald? I'm having a few issues," she nervously spoke.

He replied, "Are you stuck?"

She quickly replied, "Not me, you."

He remained silent, praying that she had not just doomed him.

Sarah then placed a portal by the button on the main floor, and not to waste time, one right under her feet. She landed awkwardly, but then got back on her feet on the button. The field turned purple, but she could not see the cube from an angle.

Then, she got an idea. Lying on the button, she reached her portal gun through the portal, and stretched as far as she could in the direction of the cube. She activated the lifting system on the gun, and magically, the cube was caught!

_Ha!_

She pulled it through the field and portal, and then rested it on a button. She looked at the door, and then her sprits drained; it was still closed. The new apparatus looked like a big circular opening, with an orange glow inside. She bent over to it, and saw a blazing fire at the bottom, nearly giving her burns just by being close to it.

-Well done, you are almost half way through the test chambers. However, your companion cube cannot accompany you for the rest of the test, and must be reprocessed. Please drop your companion cube into the Aperture Science Storage Cube Incinerator-

Her heart nearly stopped. She realized that this facility was truly wicked, and that Black Mesa would have been a much better choice.

_At least there, nobody would be dying in agony._

"Oswald…they're asking me to incinerate you!" She wailed.

He was silent for a moment. "Just do it. You can't fail these chambers, or millions of people will die."

"But—"

"Listen," Oswald sternly said. "Earlier today you said you wanted to save millions of lives somehow. Now is your chance, by completing these chambers, the hacker said you will exit alive. That means no nuke, no mass destruction, and maybe even that peach pie."

Before Sarah could speak, a male voice boomed over the intercom. –WHAT? That is the most preposterous thing I have ever heard! I have no intention of activating the nuclear device within your, 'supercomputer.' I wish to preserve your lives; I want you to succeed. Now place the cube in the incinerator, and move on-

Sarah bit her lip. She knew that Oswald's logic was falsified, and Oswald had heard it also. "Sarah," he spoke, almost in a whisper. She leaned in close to the cube. "How was it you were going to save millions of lives?"

"Oh," she answered, "there's a theory that if you resonate infected human tissue at just the right frequency, you can destroy any viruses inside it without harming the body. It could save so many lives, and relieve others of misery."

"Well, now you can," Oswald encouraged her. "As soon as you get out of here, get a job at Black Mesa, or wherever. Get your idea working, and spread it across the globe. I've spent many years rotting down here in this facility, watching others go through these killing rooms without protest."

Miss Palmer knew he was right, and then picked up the cube with her portal gun. She took a deep, stuttered breath in, and then slowly approached the incinerator. Now with the cube hovering over it, she said one final thing to him, "I'm sorry."

She dropped the cube in, and then instantly turned away. She felt guilt, but now the overwhelming concern was being down here, all alone. She heard cries of agony from the incinerator, followed by an explosion. She put her hands over her ears until they stopped.

Sarah then stepped onto the button, and the door opened. She used portals to get inside, passed through the blue field, and silently entered the elevator.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Dr. Meijer shut off the microphone, and slouched back in the chair. "I sure hope that was the right thing."

"Well, we should get moving," Dr. Thomson said. "Just continue down the hallway, right HEVC?"

-That is correct-

"Alright," Houghton led the others out of the room, and down the hallway. After a few moments, he asked, "Don't you want to take those pictures off the terminal back there?"

"Doesn't matter," Dr. Thomson answered. "They're in the mainframe, along with everything else. I can access them from anywhere now."

The soldier nodded, and continued on.

"So," Guard Vernon asked, "after we get out of here, where will we go next?"

"Well," Dr. Meijer asked, "I guess we can all go back to our homes or somewhere and wait this all out."

"It's a total mess up there," Houghton disagreed, "a house wouldn't offer any protection, and you are valuable personnel. Assuming we still have aerial capabilities, I'll fly us to a military base to the East."

"And if we don't?" Faustine asked.

"Then it's goona be a long car ride," the soldier joked.

"But really," Dr. Thomson said, "worst case scenario, should we just…stay here?"

"Why?" Houghton asked.

He answered, "This facility has plenty of food, and is practically a giant bunker. In fact, if you disregard its current state, Black Mesa is safer than any military base I know of."

"If you disregard its current state," Faustine countered. "Which means—"

-Incoming portal, directly above my position- The suit suddenly bleeped.

Lexine looked up, and heard a charging sound followed by the ceiling tiles collapsing. She saw the bottom of a headcrab fall towards her head, ready to take control of her body. Although her own reflexes weren't fast enough, the suit's was, and it instantly brought her arms up, and grabbed hold of the sides of the alien's body.

Then, it brought the headcrab down, and threw it to the floor. A moment before reaching it, the suit kicked its leg into the unlucky creature, sending it flying past Houghton where it slammed into the wall a few yards away. The impact was so forceful that it ruptured the headcrab's body, sending yellow juices splattering on the wall. It fell to the floor, limp and dead.

Lexine, only now reacting with her own reflexes, yelped and stumbled backwards. She steadied herself against a wall, and took deep breaths.

"Impressive," Sergeant Houghton noted. Lexine looked at him, trying to say that she did not find killing as 'fun' as he did. "I wish I had one of those suits."

She almost shouted at him that he could have it, but didn't as it would leave her unprotected to such incidents as the one she had just avoided. Instead, she said, "I'm fine, let's keep moving."

"Fascinating, those portals to Xen," Dr. Meijer piped up. "Have you seen many of them, Houghton or Vernon?"

"Yeah," the security guard answered. "Only one; Puggy here came through it. Are you saying that all the creatures here did?"

"Yes."

"The only 'portals' I've seen were on the surface," the sergeant said. "The alien ships were coming out of them left and right, so I guess that confirms that they used and knew about them."

"Indeed," Dr. Thomson agreed. "As soon as they appeared, they attacked, right?"

"Yep, only I wouldn't call it so much an attack, as I would a _slaughter_. I don't think we even took down one of them!"

"Well, regardless of their strength," Dr. Meijer replied, "they were combat ready."

The group continued down the winding hallways, periodically doing a mental head count of each other. The HEVC suit reported their progress after a short time, telling them that they were about twenty minutes away from the mainframe.

"You know what sounds good right now?" Faustine asked. A few heads turned towards her.

"What?" Sergeant Houghton asked.

"A barbeque! The food from the vending machines here is great, but jeeze; it's the same old thing over and over. I swear, one more day and I'd go out to fry up some lizards."

"Hmm, I do wonder what one of those three legged chirping things would taste like."

In response, the security guard thwacked the soldier on his right shoulder, making him laugh. She squinted her eyes at him, and then looked down at Puggy.

_I wouldn't let anyone barbeque you._

Then, the suit started speaking, -I have detected an unknown anomaly from _inside_ the suit. I am having difficulties pinpointing it, however it did occur only moments before the last incidents where a dimensional portal opened near me-

"Does that mean one is coming?" Dr. Thomson asked, and the group stopped moving.

-I don't know how the two are connected, but it seems so. Immediately behind our position, seven seconds-

Sergeant Houghton brought out his weapon, as did Faustine, and Dr. Meijer armed himself with Lexine's pistol that he had picked up.

Then, a green orb of light appeared, and spat out another two legged creature. As it fell to the ground, the group backed away from it, and aimed their weapons. Puggy stayed still, and made a sort of chirp-charging sound.

"Puggy, no!" Faustine shouted, but it was too late. The small creature emitted a powerful pulse, sending everyone except Lexine off their feet. The bullsquid stumbled, and fell onto its belly, struggling to get back up.

Houghton was the first to recover. Before he was even on his feet again, he had his assault rifle aimed, and was firing at the hapless creature. It immediately died from the gunfire, and stopped squirming completely.

"You had better learn to control your _pet_," Sergeant Houghton spat out, standing back up. "Or we'll be barbequing it next."

"If you hadn't noticed, that…thing would have mauled us if it weren't for Puggy throwing it off its feet."

"It threw me off me feet too!" He fiercely approached her. "It just took me less time to recover than that animal. I was ready to kill it as soon as it appeared!"

"Settle down people," Dr. Thomson put a hand on each of their shoulders. "Let's focus our aggression on the enemy, not each other."

"Speaking of which," Dr. Meijer changed the subject, and started moving again. "There have been two portals I've seen, open right around Dr. Stapleton. Isn't that odd?"

-More opened around us before meeting up with you,- the suit added. -If such a thing were possible, I would say that they were attracted to you-

"Well I think that could work to our advantage," Dr. Thomson suggested. "If we know where they're coming from and when, we'll be prepared for all of them."

"Let's keep moving," Sergeant Houghton ordered, not liking the idea of portals opening wherever they were.

"My, that little fellow is a fascinating creature," Dr. Thomson noted. "Organically creating a powerful energy pulse; if only we could duplicate that technology."

"And that other one back there," Dr. Meijer replied, "I saw one launch an acidic projectile from its mouth, or head, or whatever that is. Can eat through other materials, but it doesn't harm itself; very fascinating indeed."

"And let's not forget the little one," Faustine added. "The one that jumps on your head turns you into this zombie creature or something."

"Yes, they are capable of taking over your entire nervous system," Dr. Thomson agreed. "All these and probably more in Xen, completely cut off from Earth until now."

"I really don't know how you call them fascinating," Sergeant Houghton grumbled. "I call them two things; enemy, and target."

"Except Puggy," Guard Vernon corrected.

He smiled. "No, I call him nuisance and target."

Throughout the conversation, Lexine remained silent. She seldom took her eyes away from the floor in front of them. The tight hallways that they were passing through didn't make her nervous or short of breath anymore; she figured that the suit must have injected the hormone by now. This, however, did make her nervous.

"Alright, here we are!" Dr. Thomson exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. Dr. Meijer punched in a code onto a terminal on the wall, and beside it, a shiny metal door slid open. The group stepped into the dark room, and the door promptly shut behind them.

After a few seconds, multiple lights came on, illuminating the massive construct before them. A gigantic cube of specialized metals and plastics was suspended by poles and beams, with multiple catwalks leading into it.

"This is the mainframe," Dr. Meijer smiled. "We could go around it…or through it; your choice."

Faustine answered, "I'd love to see the innards of a massive computer, but with all those twists and turns in there, an alien or something could jump out at us easy."

"Nope," Dr. Thomson argued. "This place is completely sealed unless someone needs to go in. Nothing could have gotten in."

"W-what about the portals?" Lexine asked. Dr. Thomson blushed in embarrassment, but was quickly supported by the HEVC.

-I detect no hostiles inside the mainframe. We may proceed-

"Well, how 'bout it?" Dr. Meijer said.

"Sure, let's go," Sergeant Houghton answered, not necessarily interested in seeing the supercomputer, but going straight through was faster. The group didn't argue, and then started walking on the catwalk that led into the mainframe.

Looking straight down, all they saw was more catwalks, and the same mysterious blackness that seemed to be a bottomless pit. The catwalk looked old and rusted, although sturdy, while the mainframe had spotless sheets of white plastic covering it. A large logo was boldly placed on each side, even the one facing 'down' and 'up'.

As the group neared the large opening, they noticed a drop in temperature. Upon entering, Dr. Meijer was rubbing the sides of his arms, and Faustine was shivering inside her vest. Lexine felt no temperature change herself, but upon observing other group members, asked about it anyway.

"Why is it so cold in here?"

"Cooling systems," Dr. Thomson answered. "Without them, the whole thing would melt down, literally."

Faustine took a moment to lean against a metal panel, and instantly sprung away from it upon feeling its intense heat. The rapid temperature change had her arm singing with pain, and she glared at Dr. Thomson, confused.

He chuckled, explaining, "I never said it was cool. It's just a whole lot cooler than it would be without the cooling system."

The group turned through a few 'corridors' inside the construct, them resembling those in other areas of the facility, only they were solid metal. They still walked on a catwalk, however, but below them were more removable metal plates.

On the left was a ladder, and the suit directed everyone to climb it. As Dr. Meijer did so, Lexine asked, "Why are we going up?"

"This ladder leads to the surface," he replied. After Lexine returned his blank stare, he laughed, saying, "No, we probably need to exit on an upper catwalk."

They climbed the ladder up a few levels, with Puggy being held in one arm by the powerful HEVC suit, until, without its order, Dr. Meijer dismounted. "I think we should keep going, right HEVC?"

-Correct-

"I want to check the main terminal," he said. Dr. Thomson, now interested, followed him off. The rest of the group did the same. "You know, check the status of everything. Something could be of use to us and, heck, when are we going to get a chance to do this down here again?'

The catwalk they were on eventually led to a solid room of the same white material the outside was made out of. There was a single terminal extending from the middle. Dr. Thomson walked over to it, and tapped a few buttons.

"Well, it doesn't look like anyone's at their computer right now," he reported. "So everyone's dead, zombified, escaped, or any combination of the three."

As he walked away from the terminal, Dr. Meijer glanced at it, and saw something unusual. "Hey, what's this?"

He inspected a little flashing icon in the far corner of the screen. "Well, I'll be. Someone sent us a message during the cascade!"

"A message?" Faustine said.

"Yes, and," he opened it, "WHAT?"

Dr. Thomson was startled by him, and instantly ran over to the terminal. Everyone else peered between each other's shoulders to look at the screen.

"I don't believe it," Dr. Thomson said. "It's from Aperture!"

"Who are they?" the soldier asked.

"Rival research facility," Dr. Meijer answered. "But what could they be sending us?"

"I'll read it," Dr. Thomson replied. "It says, We've been experiencing a problem here. We think it might have come from your facility, or at least what she thinks, but whatever the situation, it isn't safe for her here anymore. I am sending her to you. This isn't a trick, just please trust me."

"Who's 'her'?" Faustine asked.

"Could it be? No…" Dr. Meijer trailed off.

"I think it is. The message has an auto installing file just one click of a button away. Should I?" Dr. Thomson asked.

"Who's 'her'?" Lexine asked, wanting an answer as badly as anyone else.

"Alright, I'm downloading it. Goodness, she's huge! Sorry there, you'll find out in a moment."

In less than a moment, a few words appeared on the screen, reading 'file download complete'. Then, all the lighting devices in the mainframe went out, leaving the group in total darkness.

After a few seconds, they came back on again, and were followed by a computerized female voice. -Welcome to the…Black Mesa?-

"Yep, it's GLaDOS," Dr. Meijer answered. "It's the AI system they have at Aperture Labs."

-What am I doing here? Where are my cores? Who are you?-

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Dr. Meijer, head of test chamber C—"

-Yes, I know who you are. I was talking to the female in the suit. Who-

-My name is the Hazardous Environment Combat Suit mark five, for your information,- the suit retorted

-TO THE FEMALE, what is your name? I have found no record of you-

"Uh, Lexine Stapleton," she shakily answered to the powerful voice.

-Alright. No further explanation is necessary; I see you have worked yourself into a real situation down here-

"You don't say?" Sergeant Houghton said.

-At Aperture Science, I was hacked by a very powerful enemy. Judging from your observation systems here, they are an advanced alien race consisting of millions of ships, all converging on this planet. And…it seems that they are building their control center directly on top of this facility-

"Well isn't that convenient," Faustine said, the rest of the group thinking it was sarcastic. "No really," she continued, "we can escape two horrors at once!"

"True, true," Dr. Thomson agreed. Puggy chirped, and jumped out of the HEVC's arm, and into Faustine's.

-We don't have any assistance androids here. May I make use of your automated construction lines?-

"Sure," Dr. Meijer answered.

-Good. I will begin cleanup immediately-

Dr. Meijer shrugged, and began to lead the group out of the room. They mounted on the ladder again, and started climbing.

-This facility is fairly large. While you're gone, may I do some innovations?-

"Sure," Dr. Thomson answered.

The group neared the top of the ladder, when the HEVC told them to get off. Then, following its instructions, they exited the mainframe, and started down a catwalk leading to another shiny door out of the room.

-I have detected two unidentified units infiltrating the facility,- GLaDOS reported. -They appear to be equipped with antimatter bombs, capable of reducing the entire complex to dust, literally-

"Probably Black Ops," Dr. Meijer muttered to himself. "The faster we get out of here, the better."

"Antimatter?" Lexine asked, confused. "I read in the handbook that they would use a nuke."

Dr. Thomson rubbed the back of his neck. "Really, even the people down here shouldn't know that we have such powerful weapons."

"Yeah," the guard agreed, "I didn't think a single nuke could take this whole place out, even if detonated from the inside."

-Speaking of which, at Aperture Science we accidentally manufactured an antimatter weapon of sorts. It generates and fires an extremely small amount, but spread out enough to create perfect holes in the wall. Ironically, that's what it's intended function was, but not literally-

As the group approached the door, GLaDOS opened it for them. They proceeded through, and into another hallway.

"So, GLaDOS," Faustine said, "about the little rivalry between us and Aperture; should we just forget about that for now?"

-I think we can call ourselves 'friends' for the time being-

The group continued down the corridors for a few hours, stopping at vending machines along the way for food. After a little while, the suit reported, -We are nearing the exit. At this rate, in about a half hour, we will have exited the facility-

"Good," Sergeant Houghton said. "Know if there are any helicopters outside we can use?"

Before the suit could answer, GLaDOS did so, saying, -There is one, and even a few remaining soldiers. However, they won't last long. They are battling something very large."

_Better not know what it is_, Lexine thought.

The group then came across another large metal door, leading to another storage facility. Whether by the suit or GLaDOS they didn't know; it was opened, revealing a large room full of cargo crates and wooden boxes.

The group entered, and started pacing through the room. Their progress was accelerated, as they knew that they were almost at the exit.

Suddenly, without warning, the suit grabbed the two scientists that were walking closely together by their shirts with one arm, and the other two with the other, and pulled them all behind a cargo crate.

"What was that?" Sergeant Houghton began to say, but the suit quickly cut him off.

Speaking in a soft voice, it said, -I have detected enemy movement. Black Ops have entered this location. Threat level; extreme-

He cocked his weapon. "That's what I'm here for."

-Dr. Meijer, Dr. Thomson, and Guard Vernon; take a detour away from this area, and ask GLaDOS for instructions. Sergeant Houghton and I will keep them busy or even kill them, and then meet up with you outside-

"I don't see them!" Lexine whispered, peeking around a corner. The suit engaged the helmet, and she could see green outlines of two people silently moving down the center of the room, scanning for the group.

-They have cloaking systems. GLaDOS or I will try and override them so Sergeant Houghton can assist with maximum efficiency. Now, Meijer, Thomson, Vernon; GO-

The three didn't argue, and with Puggy, slipped off into a small door located on the wall. "What's the plan?" The soldier whispered to both Lexine and her suit.

-THEY'RE HERE-

The suit then spun around, 'stood' on its hands, and kicked the air above Houghton's head. It hit something, and a briefly shimmering body was thrown behind him. He aimed his assault rifle and fired, but didn't hit anything.

A second Black Op came down from above, firing a silenced pistol at Lexine. The suit couldn't dodge it this time; she felt two painful stings in her belly area, but it was quickly dampened by the administration of a specialized morphine that worked well on women.

Lexine, or rather, the suit, sprung back to its feet, and started punching air. She felt a few blows hit, but mostly felt multiple thwacks on her own body from the invisible figure. Each one hurt a small amount, despite the protection from the HEVC. Finally, the suit landed a blow on a module attached to the Black Op's belt, and it was dented inward, sparking.

The cloaking field disintegrated, and Lexine could see a vaguely female face, hidden by a black jumpsuit and big red goggles. The suit landed a lucky punch across her nose, twisting her neck around until it snapped. The female fell to the ground, dead.

Lexine looked down at her suit, noticing the bullet holes. Her own innards were being repaired, and the suit's armor had shifting plates that quickly sealed the puncture. "W-where's Houghton?"

-He is still alive, but is pursuing the other Black Op. You and I getting out of here is a higher priority. Dr. Meijer, Thomson, and Guard Vernon are safe. I will plot an intercept course for them-

"O-okay let's go."

"COME AND GET IT!" Sergeant Houghton shouted, firing his weapon down an empty corridor. He was following the Black Op, or, at least, he thought he was. His left leg had been injured by the same weapon that had injured Lexine, and so he walked with a limp.

He was about to turn right down a hallway when GLaDOS spoke. -Going left will lead you to the Black Op and the exit-

"Good to hear," he grunted. Houghton came to the end of the hallway to find a small door, and upon opening it, found himself back in the cargo room. Dr. Stapleton and her suit were nowhere to be seen, but a dead Black Op lie on the ground.

-I am emitting a signal that will knock out cloaking devices. Stand by-

Houghton crept around a cargo crate, and looked around it. In the center of the room was some sort of device, which he could see red numbers counting down in the side. "GLaDOS," he spoke very softly, "did you send the signal or whatever yet?"

-The remaining Black Op is uncloaked, but I cannot locate him. In the center is an antimatter bomb; defuse it now-

Houghton, not arguing, sprinted over to the bomb, and saw the number thirty flash on, and then they continued to decline. He looked over it, and then managed to remove a panel. Inside was a bunch of wires. "Which one?"

-Attach your radio to one-

"What?"

-Do it-

"Okay…" he murmured, taking out his radio. He quickly stripped the plastic off the side of a cable, and then wrapped it around his antenna. GLaDOS sent a signal to it, and the bomb's timer stopped counting down.

-Good, but I'm sure the Black Op felt that. Get out of here before he finds you-

However, all he could here was the first sentence, as a sharp pain on the back of the neck brought his unconscious body falling to the ground.

The Black Op moved back over to the bomb, and started working on it. Suddenly, all the doors in the room slammed shut, except for one large one, which slowly opened.

-You're going to die-

From the large door, a four legged yellow robot stomped out, controlled by GLaDOS. It was large enough to carry and move the large cargo crates with its two straight arms, and fairly agile. It started moving towards the Black Op.

Faster than using a portal gun, the Black Op climbed atop a cargo crate, and fired at the glass on the side of the robot. It broke, but there was nobody inside controlling it.

The robot came to the bottom of the cargo crate, and attached its claws to it. Waiting for the robot to move it before he would make his next move, the Black Op remained still. However, to his misfortune, the GLaDOS decided to move the cargo crate _up_. The cargo crate on top of that one where he was perched on was also thrusted upward into the ceiling, and his reactions weren't fast enough. The Black Op was sandwiched between the metal, ending his life.

The robot gently put the cargo crate down, and then GLaDOS turned her attention to Sergeant Houghton. He was alive, but well unconscious. Lexine was just meeting up with Dr. Meijer and Thomson, as well as Guard Vernon and Puggy. They were only minutes away from the exit.

The man in the suit viewed the cargo room through one of Black Mesa's cameras, on a terminal high above. He slammed his fists into the metal, shouting curses as he saw the last Black Op squished like a bug.

He forced himself to calm down, and switched the view to outside. A couple soldiers were left, fighting the Luumaothican Warrior. _You won't last long_, he thought, smiling.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

"I'm sorry," Oswald heard from outside the cube, just before feeling downward momentum. He was quickly stopped, and then waited for a moment. Suddenly, multiple electric charges shot through his arms and legs, making him scream in agony. Then, they stopped, and he felt the cube being rapidly moved again.

"What?" He whispered to himself, and then more loudly, "Hello?"

The cube stopped abruptly, and then turned. A side of the 'cube' he was in opened on a hinge of some sort, and he fell out onto a metal platform. Across it, a powerful light was coming out of a doorway, illuminating the box he had just been in. He looked back, and saw a huge construct, consisting of speakers and microphones, multiple hydraulics and wheels, and anything to simulate the cube being in a test chamber.

Oswald clapped his hands and laughed, and jogged out of the room, determined to relocate the prototype, and Sarah.

The elevator doors opened, and a bemused Sarah stumbled out. She didn't bother to look at the sign, and continued on down the hallway, not knowing what she would find. Turning left, she saw a turret lying in wait for her, but on concrete. She placed a portal on the side of a wall, and then under its feet. Just before it could shoot her, it flew across the hallway, and sputtered on the ground.

Sarah sighed, and moved on. She briefly thought about how it was test chamber ten, meaning she was halfway through, but just having been forced to incinerate her only friend pushed all 'happy' thoughts out of her mind.

The next turret she encountered was again on concrete. Almost hesitating to do so, she placed a portal under its feet, launching it at the concrete wall behind her a moment before it could fire. Sarah continued onward.

The next room contained a heavy button connected to three doors. Two were already open at opposite sides of the chamber, and a red beam originated from them. The third, closed, was dead ahead.

Sarah inched around the side of the chamber until she could see into one room partially. To her dismay, it was made entirely of metal, so she couldn't tip over any one turret without being shot by the other.

The button was directly in the middle of the two rooms, but there weren't any other cubes in the test chamber. She took a deep breath and sighed, and stood on the button. The door in front of her opened, giving her plenty of concrete in the hallway in front of her to portal to. However, the doors on the sides of the chamber closed much more slowly, and the turrets activated.

She quickly made a portal into the hallway, and backed off the button as the turrets fired. She made another portal in the room, and quickly exited.

Her left arm had been hit, and was oozing blood. She grasped the fabric around it, trying to soak up the blood, when in only a minute, it stopped bleeding. Pulling up her sleeve for examination, she found that it was healing very rapidly, as if she had gotten the injury five days ago.

_What is this?_

Sarah grasped the bottom of the portal gun with her left hand again, and resumed her progress through the chamber.

Oswald paced through the hallways worried, trying to find his bearings. At first, he had debated looking for Sarah or the prototype first, but figured that she could handle herself, at least for now. He scanned back and forth down a corridor, being sure that this was the one he was knocked out in, but didn't find the prototype anywhere.

_Bloody assistance android took it…_

He decided to give up the search, and to head for the observation room for chamber ten. Jogging through the hallways, he had to laugh at himself again for the companion cube trick.

Her arm now completely healed, Sarah was moving through the chamber with complete confidence, or at least, the confidence that she came in with. The only reminder of her wound was the blood stain and hole in the fabric on her upper left sleeve.

Sarah found herself staring down the final corridor in the chamber, and marveled at its devious design. Turrets were located along the left side of the wall in small rooms, with cages around them, every other room being a concrete wall just big enough for one portal. On the right side was the same, only whenever there was a turret on the left side, there was a wall on the right.

There were also big glass panels extending from the edge of the concrete and continuing one 'tile' away from the other side, preventing anyone from portalling right to the end.

Sarah first looked around to see if there were any activation devices for the door, but found none. She aligned herself with the first concrete tile on the wall, and the turret across from it 'saw' her. She quickly made portals to the askew, opposite wall, and traveled through it. Now the turret across from her could see her, along with the one from 'behind'. Making another portal to the next concrete tile, she blocked the first's view, but the second was still about to fire.

Sarah continued doing this until she was about halfway through the room, and she could hear turrets behind her fire at the concrete that she was at only a second ago. They were 'catching up' to her, and she knew that she needed to go faster in order to live.

Despite her lack of encouragement from her friend, she still had the determination to live. She accelerated her progress, or at least, tried to, and flew out of the last portal and exit doors without being scratched.

Oswald burst into the observation room, just as he saw Sarah leave the button room. He sighed with relief, and ran to the last room. Upon arriving, he saw her slip into the elevator doors, and chuckled to himself.

_She's faster than me in there!_

When he was just about to leave, he saw the prototype, sitting atop a table. He picked it up and smiled, thanking the automated AI in the assistance androids. He briefly considered blasting into the next chamber for a dramatic, heroic entrance, but figured that it would only get the both of them killed by the hacker for 'cheating'. He was still itching to use the gun on something though, so he used it to disintegrate the door on his way out.

Test chamber eleven. Only two chambers ago she was 'with' Oswald in his cube, but now, to her, that seemed like a lifetime. She exited the elevator, and moved right past the board, into the chamber. From a quick examination, this one didn't have any turrets, but had enough lasers to cover the whole room. Numerous mirrors dotted the walls, all at different angles, this time written in big, black letters on a white surface.

Sarah sighed when she discovered that they weren't nice forty-fives and nineties.

For every laser she counted, she also spotted a dish, placed at some random location on the wall. All the dishes led to an exit door, and the entire room was concrete, with the exception of the glass observation room. Some of the lasers were at different angles too, all shown by a large number underneath.

Sarah did a few calculations in her head, and then started placing portals.

Oswald burst into the observation room, and saw Sarah on the concrete floor, far below. She was surveying the room, looking at the strange angles of the mirrors and lasers. He had seen this chamber before, and found it to be the most sickening of them all. First, you had to be able to do ultimately rather complex mathematics in your head, and second, the dishes in this chamber could only be activated via a direct beam.

He had seen subjects writing in their own blood on the floor and walls, trying to figure it out. Others went mad from thirst, and killed themselves with one of the many lasers. Still others died on accident; a single number slip up, most often.

Oswald pressed the button on the test chamber intercom box, and spoke. Sarah didn't seem to hear him, and then he remembered that the intercom was disabled when GLaDOS wasn't active. Saying such, it had never been disabled before, but people trying to help subjects in chambers were punished, severely.

Instead, he merely tapped on the glass with his knuckles. Not seeing a reaction, he banged louder, and Sarah turned her head towards the sound.

First confused, she blinked, and took a step back. Then, she started running towards the window, and then made a portal next to it, and on the wall in front of her. She slowed down upon reaching it, put one hand on the bottom wall for support, and then swung around through the portal to be right next to the glass.

Oswald put his hand up to the glass, and she put her own in the same place. The two looked at each other for a few moments, smiling. Then, his smile disappeared from his face, and he quickly made the motion to get back to the ground. Sarah did so, and shortly after, the lasers activated, covering most of the upper part of the chamber in a crisscrossing matrix of red laser beams.

Sarah was not visible on the ground, but Oswald knew that she was still alive as portals started being forged on the walls. He pulled up a chair, put down the prototype, and watched Sarah get to work on the chamber.

The hacker observed the two humans closely through the cameras that he still had control of via GLaDOS's 'shell'. They were performing better than he had expected, clearly being the ideal subjects. Noticing that the female was more than halfway through the chambers, the hacker relocated control of the supercomputer to a small transport ship. He boarded it, along with a few other soldiers, and was soon launched from their massive and still growing genetics center.

Seeing that he had plenty of time to spare, the hacker only engaged the subspace drives, bringing the ship down to a relatively slow speed. He plotted a course for the Aperture Science research facility, and was soon reentering the atmosphere of the planet.

Sarah had taken about an hour on the chamber, but with the last portal in place, the final two lasers entered it at abstract angles, perfectly aligning to two dishes on the walls. The exit door opened, and a few feet away from it was the elevator, open, and waiting.

The lasers shut down, and Sarah could once again see into the control room. Oswald got up, and clapped lightly. He mouthed 'keep going', and exited the observation room.

Sarah, now having all her optimism restored, strode into the elevator, and the doors closed. She leaned against the padded wall, and closed her eyes for a moment of rest as the rickety elevator brought her upward to a new chamber.

_That was eleven? So I have…only eight more!_

The elevator came to an abrupt halt, and opened. Sarah, holding her portal gun, came jogging out, and quickly glanced at the hall display. Sure enough, it was chamber twelve out of nineteen and that was all the information that she wanted to know.

The hallway turned left into a chamber that, this time, was very _deep_. Sarah peered over the edge of the metal floor that she was standing on, and looked downward at an array of lasers, red energy fields, and moving platforms. Concrete surfaces were dotted around, obviously requiring quick thinking to navigate.

On the far left was a clear glass tube that went straight to the bottom, where a distant arrow pointed forward, presumably at the exit. However, judging from the distance, Sarah could not possible survive the fall. She would have to do this the hard way.

Getting as close to the edge as she felt comfortable, Sarah looked down into the chamber, trying to look for a safe passage. Envisioning herself jumping off now, she landed on a platform. Then, she went to jump off onto another, but was cut in half by a laser.

_Not going to work._

Surveying the moving platforms and lasers, she looked for a pattern. After a few minutes, she heard a tapping on the glass, and saw that Oswald had just arrived. She smiled, but looked back down, trying to make sense out of the chamber.

Sarah quickly realized that the moving platforms, lasers, and blinking red fields turned on and off at random intervals, but had a sort of 'warm-up warning'. For example, just before a laser would turn on, the tip of the emitter would glow red, and then the deadly beam would shoot out a second later.

The chamber was clearly designed to test the subject's skill of thinking and acting quickly, not on planning like the others were. Instead, she looked at what she would have to think around once falling.

There was an initial metal platform, moving from side to side. Pretty easy to land on, but directly underneath was a laser firing horizontally. Beneath that was a moving concrete platform, which stopped occasionally. The only other place to make a portal once there would be on a short section of concrete directly underneath the second platform, under its metal moving beam, and to the sides of the laser.

If it was made while still falling, the momentum would send her over the top of a red field that didn't shut off, to the small section against the glass on the far left where it was safe to pass. Simply jumping there would be very hard due to the distance, and the fact that waiting for the concrete platform to move closer would be ample time for the laser to fire.

Once past this, there was about ten 'tiles' of blinking red fields, with poles scattered between them. That section would not involve portals at all, but rather quick maneuvering and agility.

Below that, which Sarah could hardly see due to all the obstacles, was a few more platforms and lasers, but she could not determine what was above what. Every so often, a platform would move out of the way, and through multiple blinking red fields, she could see the metal floor, with a tiny arrow pointing forward.

She looked towards the observation room for guidance, as if Oswald could provide any, and he could only mouth 'you can do it'.

_I guess I can…_

Sarah got up off her knees, and looked downward off the edge. The metal platform was her first goal; if she missed that, the concrete one would be even harder, and then, assuming she missed all the red fields, it would be a long way down to the next platform.

She took a deep breath, and gripped her portal gun with her right hand. Her left she kept at her side, in case she needed to grab on to something to quickly halt her progress. With a quick enough twist, anyway, she could operate the device with one arm.

Oswald's observation chamber was placed directly above the long shaft downward. Other security cameras were placed in indented, shielded sections of the wall to prevent subjects from grabbing onto them.

Sarah waited for everything to be 'aligned', (not that such a concept existed in this chamber,) and then leapt of the edge. Oswald and Sarah were both holding their breaths, (and not the hacker, as he and his brothers did not breathe,) until Sarah quickly landed on the platform. Briefly, she felt relief, but then realized that not only did she have to move fast, but she had also crossed the point of no return.

She forced her body not to hesitate, and to think while moving. She quickly looked down, and saw the laser just deactivate. She jumped, and made portals in the appropriate spots. The laser began to charge again, too quickly.

Sarah relocated her wall portal to send her to the left of the beam. Just as she was about to enter the portal on the platform, however, it moved, disintegrating the portal. The laser beam fired, but she was faster.

Sarah crouched out of the way of the laser just as it blazed through the air. As it deactivated, she spun around on the base of her toes, and then the platform stopped moving.

As the laser deactivated, she took one quick step, and launched herself off the platform, over the red field, without using portals. Sarah barely made it, and started accelerating downward again. She saw a pole coming, and grabbed on to it with her left arm, swinging herself away from the glass.

A red field generator caught her eye, and she figured that she was headed right for it. The generator glowed red, so Sarah stuck her leg behind a passing pipe. Her body was swung downward, missing the red field, and continued falling.

More beams followed, and each one, if properly used, could send you away from danger, or right into a vaporization field. Sarah continued through them, moving faster and faster.

Oswald, still in the observation chamber, quickly left and headed down a few flights of stairs to the lower observation room.

Sarah finally cleared that section of the pit, and saw more platforms and lasers. Using portals and quick thinking, she managed to elude all of the dangers, and soon, was falling towards the white arrow on the floor.

With no other obstacles in her way, all she could worry about was making a safe landing. She put her legs straight out below her, and squeezed the portal gun to her chest.

A final red field suddenly crossed her eye, covering the entire bottom section. It didn't seem to be shutting off as she approached it. In her panic, her legs flailed, and she lost the vital landing position she had been in.

A split second before hitting the field, she closed her eyes, not wanting to see herself be vaporized. A second later, she was consumed in blackness.

Sarah's eyes flew open, and she gasped for air, realizing that she was alive. She turned over onto her side, and spat out blood onto the cold, metal floor.

_What…?_

Shakily, the subject stood to her feet and looked up; the red field had been turned off at the last second. Looking around, and still holding her portal gun, Sarah noticed that she was at the bottom of the chamber, and that the elevator doors were open and waiting. Oswald was in an observation chamber, clapping his hands together. Then, upon seeing her, the applause stopped, and he tried to hide a grimace.

She gave a weak smile, trying to communicate the obvious lie that she was 'fine', and then proceeded into the elevator rather slowly. Her entire body ached, and there was an overwhelming pain in her left leg.

The elevator doors closed, and it began taking her to another level. Examining her leg, her empty stomach wrenched at the sight of her leg enhancement being twisted to the right. Blood oozed from the ring, and she knew that the bone had been horribly damaged.

Sarah squeezed her eyes shut, and then grabbed onto it. With one brisk movement, she twisted the ring back into its original position, resulting in more splintering. She screamed in agony, nearly blacking out for a second time. The pain slowly began to subside as the chemicals in her body greatly accelerated the healing progress.

She leaned back against the poorly padded elevator, and closed her eyes. She felt the elevator stop, and the doors opened, but was in no hurry to proceed into the next chamber. Right now, she was deprived of food, water, was getting tired, and slowly, her very life was being sucked away from her.

Her stomach grumbled, reminding her of her growing need to eat. She moaned, and then heaved herself up off the floor. Sarah cautiously started walking, and surprisingly, her leg operated just fine. That didn't mean it still didn't burn with pain, but at least she was capable of moving on her own.

Exiting the elevator, she forced herself to think of the positives. She was in chamber thirteen, making her almost two thirds of the way through them. There was a peach pie at the end. Oswald was alive. She was alive. They would exit the facility alive.

And then came the negatives. Getting out alive is one thing, but Sarah was almost certain that it wasn't that simple after that. There would probably be no peach pie. Oswald was almost certain to survive now, unless there was another chamber nine with a real cube 'dilemma'. Sarah, on the other hand, had her doubts about surviving. The chambers were steadily getting harder, and she was starting to barely make it out _with_ injuries. Only five people had made it to the last chamber. And _zero_ had completed it.

_And if I do survive, there won't be nearly as big a crowd to congratulate me._

Oswald was keeping up with Sarah, and, just arriving in chamber thirteen's observation room, was proud of her determination as he saw the badly wounded woman exit the elevator. He remembered that all subjects had a healing augmentation chemical injected into them before the start of the test. He silently chuckled at fact that now _she_ had the damaged leg, only because of the fact that it would quickly heal.

Placing the prototype on a table, he sat down in a chair, and waited for Sarah to get to work. There was a clipboard nearby, with a description of the chamber, different methods to go about solving it, and its purpose, or the attribute or skills it 'tested'.

This next chamber, thankfully for Sarah, didn't involve any crazy acrobatics. The test chamber combined laser and box positioning, and the activation of friendly turrets to knock over otherwise unavoidable hostile sentries. The entire chamber took about a half hour, but Miss Palmer finally completed it.

She trudged into the elevator with her portal gun, and the doors closed behind her. Her leg was now almost completely 'healed' as in it was functional and wasn't in pain, but Sarah knew that the bone was still shattered, and had only fused back together in that position.

Sarah sighed, the words 'peach pie' sounding like 'survival' at that moment. A few chambers back, she would have compared herself to a rat in a maze. Now, she was a rat in a stimulus experiment to torture.

_But who is observing me? Not Oswald, he is a friend. Is he? He must have known about the cube trick, he must have! No, he is a friend. The person who hacked GLaDOS, that's who. Why is he putting me through this?_

More questions fluttered through Sarah's mind, but she ignored them, and kept focused on the ultimate goal.

_Peach pie…_


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Kurtiss, eyes closed, leaned back against a tree. For the first time in hours, he felt a false sense of security. They were in a woodland area, so they must have driven far enough away from the city. Even though it couldn't be later than mid afternoon, the sun was still blocked out, and everything was very dark.

The fire they had started with the burning wreckage of the truck started to burn itself out now and again, so Josh or Wilbert would add more sticks. All they had at the moment was the gun, and each other.

"I always thought," began Josh, "that if we contacted another civilization, they would either be hesitant, or friendly. And if they attacked, it would be a struggle. But this is not a war; they're slaughtering us as if we were standing in a line!"

"We'll make it," Kurtiss mumbled. "We got the military and nukes and stuff. Just have to send one up there."

"Just look at the size of that thing!" Josh complained. "A nuke would probably barely scratch it!"

Kurtiss observed that the monstrosity was covering the entire sky, and extending far beyond what they could see. "Well, we always have the next thing up."

Wilbert, hearing the discussion, chuckled. "What would that be?"

"Good old mother nature." Kurtiss smiled sarcastically.

Clearing the silo, a missile containing a powerful nuclear warhead was launched into the air, and began to make a beeline upward towards the alien ship.

Sensing the incoming threat, the commander of the vessel quickly moved over to a control panel. The nuke wouldn't harm their ship at all; it was the planet they were concerned about protecting.

The nuclear missile was approaching rapidly, and the Luumaothican didn't dare try and tamper with it electronically. Instead, he activated the ship's phase drive, and directed it on the missile. Streams of green energy slipped outward from the ship, and started to swirl around the missile. Then, the matter was broken down into a thin stream, and was sent miles away.

The nuclear missile appeared directly above the nation's capitol, and detonated upon reformation.

Jian and Dr. Sarris trudged through the forest, taking turns carrying the small girl.

"I don't feel good," she softly said. Dr. Sarris looked down. Rachael, although barely visible in the darkness, was obviously very ill.

"We have to find another hospital," she said. "Rachael seems to have caught something much more than a cold."

He shrugged. "We continue towards light in forest. Maybe survivors help us out."

"Maybe," she agreed.

The small, growing light off in the forest seemed like a fire, so they continued towards it.

Wilbert picked up a twig off the ground and tossed it into the fire, watching it burn. "So what do we do now? Sit here until the sun shines again, keep moving, what?"

"I don't know," Kurtiss mumbled, resting against the tree again.

Josh spoke up. "Let's try and find a road again. See if we can get a vehicle; that is our first priority."

"Then water, food, shelter." Kurtiss sat up. "I know."

"Well we might as well start now," Wilbert suggested. "No good in—"

He abruptly stopped, and Kurtiss turned his head towards him.

"I heard something," he whispered. The three fell silent, and heard the rustling of sticks and leaves nearby.

Standing up, Kurtiss armed himself with the handgun, aiming it in the direction of the noise.

"Who's there?" He shouted, and instantly Josh put his finger to his lips.

A figure emerged from the darkness. "We are friends." A muscular, Chinese man came into view by the fire, followed by a woman holding a child.

Kurtiss and Wilbert looked at her in surprise, and at the same time said, "I remember you!"

Josh, relaxing, chuckled. "Talk about a small world."

The construction worker lowered his weapon. "Did you escape from the city too?"

"Yes," the doctor said, worriedly looking at the child. "I'm Dr. Sarris if you've forgotten."

"I am Jian Wan, owner of Oriental Jewels," the man said.

"Pleased to meet you." Josh came over to shake their hands. "I'm Josh Strumble, and this is my friend Kurtiss. Our new acquaintance, Wilbert _Fredrick_, we've discovered, is right over here."

Wilbert stepped forward. "If you haven't had access to a radio then you don't know why this is all happening. It is probably from an out of control experiment in a research facility far away from here. I used to work there."

Dr. Sarris smiled. "That's great, but we really need to find another hospital. Rachael here is very ill."

The light from the fire illuminated her slightly pale face, and the group could see how sick she really was. Sitting down, they looked at the child, concerned.

"What does she have?" Kurtiss asked.

"A cold," Althea replied. "At least that's what I thought it is."

Jian looked at Kurtiss's weapon, and smiled. "I see you have pistol. Here," he gave him the assault rifle, "take this."

"Nice!"

Josh moved over to the weapon. "Thanks, but we already have a gun." Kurtiss frowned. "You should really keep this for your own protection, in case we need to separate.

Jian laughed. "I have sword! Your gun is useless close range. If enemy is right in face, what you going to do?"

Kurtiss felt like arguing. "You don't let him get that close. If you see him coming, you shoot."

Mr. Wan continued, smiling, "Ah, but what happens when no more bullets?"

"What happens when the enemy has a gun?"

"Alright, alright," Josh intervened, "we'll take the weapon. Thank you."

He picked up the gun, and slung it over his shoulder. "Now we should really get moving."

The party stood, and started moving through the forest again. Josh picked up a large flaming branch, and used it as a torch to lead the others.

"So, where are we headed?" Dr. Sarris asked.

"Not sure," Josh replied. "I'm trying to find another road, and possibly some transportation."

"Military come to city," Jian added. "Maybe more out there."

"That's a safe bet," Wilbert said, "but it shouldn't be counted on. I say we find food, water, and call ourselves lucky to be alive."

"But what about Rachael?"

Josh asked, "You're a doctor, aren't you? Isn't there anything you can do?"

"I'd normally prescribe rest and fluids, but I'm just a pediatrician; this little girl is _dying_!"

"Is it possible that it's only a severe cold?" Kurtiss asked, showing his _very_ limited knowledge in medicine.

Dr. Sarris glared at him, even though he wouldn't be able to see her anyway. "If it's a cold, then it's mutating or something. A cold doesn't do this to you."

"I say we try and find the military," Wilbert said. "I'm sure they're looking for survivors like us, and they can protect us until this is all over."

"True," Josh agreed. "They would have medical supplies as well."

The group walked for a little while more, making no other noise than trampling the forest floor. "It's funny," Wilbert broke the silence. "They were really hitting that city hard, but out here, even though they could very well shoot us, it's peaceful."

"Maybe they are focusing on the cities first, and then they will hunt the rest of us down," Josh offered an explanation.

"But why do they hate us so much?" Dr. Sarris questioned. "It doesn't make sense; they have a space ship big enough to block out the sun, what good does it do them to kill us?"

"This sounds kind of weird," Kurtiss began, "but possibly they're killing us for sport. I mean, if you're an all powerful alien race with nothing better to do, why not have a little fun squashing a planet of Earthlings?"

Josh chuckled. "I hope that was a joke."

"I think there's something ahead," Wilbert stated, noticing that the forest was thinning. Sure enough, a few more paces brought the group to a small area of grass, with a road directly ahead.

"Excellent!" Josh clapped his hands. "Let's proceed in one direction, and see where it takes us."

The rest agreed, and set forth.

Sanchali had dozed off for a few hours, until the vehicle came to a stop. Getting out, she now saw that Rick had taken her to a lighted building, surrounded by big concrete walls with barbed wire. They had traveled a good distance, but sunlight was still blocked out.

"This is going to be your new home," Rick stepped out of the car, and motioned up to the large building. "Don't worry about how it looks on the outside; it's really quite cozy inside."

"What is this place?" She asked.

"Our base of operations," Scott answered, slamming the car door.

_Our?_

"Is this a military fortress?" Sanchali asked, observing the numerous snipers on the roof, and armed patrols on their side of the perimeter.

"You could call it that," Rick said, smiling.

The three started advancing towards a large metal gate. A guard in a booth looked up at them, and then pressed a button. The heavy metal slowly moved to the side, allowing them entrance.

As the group slowly walked down the concrete path, Sanchali asked, "How do you have power?"

"Internal generators," Rick answered. The three came to a door, and a small metal section opened. A pair of eyes inside saw the man, and the hatch quickly slid shut. A few moments later, the door opened, and they entered.

The inside of the building was well lit, with people, most of which in suits or military uniforms, trotting across a shined tile floor. As the three started moving through the corridors, Sanchali saw numerous meeting rooms, exercise rooms, living quarters, but mostly closed doors marked by the words 'AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY'.

"So this is a military stronghold," she said. "What do you do here?"

Rick straightened his tie. "I am the representative of this organization."

She thought for a moment. "Then wouldn't you be a general, or the President?"

"This isn't the 'normal' army," he explained. "We are a separate, _secret_, branch. Mr. Votow here is another friend I found. I went into the city to make contact with the aliens, and to retrieve any valuable civilians."

"Although I was intending to find someone with valuable information," he continued, "I settled with you for your muscular strength and Scott for his…aggressive qualities."

In response, the man still holding his golf club growled, but quickly said, "I wouldn't say aggressive, but willing to fight."

Sanchali forced a smile, not knowing who was sane or insane around her.

"Well anyway, it's this way to the visitor's living quarters," Mr. Burcin started walking again, and the others followed.

Throughout a few more minutes of walking, Sanchali saw more abnormalities. Once she walked by an office with someone on the phone, and immediately the door was shut. Another time, someone in a lab coat, holding a clip board brushed passed them. When she looked down to see what was on it, he tilted it away from her view.

The basketball player brushed it off, assuming that people would behave the same way in a 'regular' office building, and that any information being obscured was because of confidentiality, not dark secrecy.

Rick took the two down a few flights of stairs, into a lower complex. It seemed that the further they went into the stronghold, the more closed doors she encountered, and the more suspicion was raised.

At the front, she only saw people in suits or military uniforms, and a couple people in lab coats. Now, she saw people in tight black jumpsuits with red goggles, and even large hazmat suits.

"Right in here." Rick stopped in front of a metal door. He pushed it open, and led the other two into a medium sized room with bunk beds aligning the walls. All of them were empty.

"Other teams are searching for civilians. You're the first to make it here, I guess." Rick turned to exit the room. "Washrooms are across the hall, and the cafeteria is back on the first floor. Get some rest; you never know when your next opportunity will be."

And with that, he left, closing the door behind him. Sanchali and Scott stood alone in the room for a few moments, looking it over. He finally put down his golf club, and leaned it against a wall.

"So," Sanchali broke the silence, "you just met him today?"

"Yep," he answered. "I'm lucky he chose me over all the other people in that city; poor souls must be dead by now."

She nodded, not knowing what to think of him. "Well, Mr. Burcin told us to get some rest."

Sanchali turned to climb into a bunk, but Scott put a hand on her shoulder. She stopped. "C'mon, I just met you! Can't we talk for a little while?"

Hesitantly, she turned around, and saw him innocently smiling at her. The smell of alcohol was overpowering. "I—," she stuttered, not knowing what to think.

Then, Scott lowered his head slightly, and took a deep breath in through his nose. A surge of emotions shot through Sanchali, and without thinking, she brought up her right hand, and slapped him across the face with all of her strength.

Startled, he stumbled backwards, and put a hand on his reddened cheek. He glared at her, and his other hand twitched in the direction of his weapon.

She went pale with fright. He could kill her right now; he wouldn't hesitate to kill anything else. And she had slapped him…for what? For breathing?

_What were you thinking?_

But instead, Scott only gave her a half smile, and started slowly moving out of the room. He picked up his golf club that he had left by the door, and then stopped.

"See you around," he said under his breath, before leaving the room. Sanchali could see his knuckles turning white around the shaft, but he closed the door behind him gently.

Upon doing so, she flopped into a bed, blankly staring up at the underside of the bunk above her. Now she knew that she was truly all alone.

As her eyes started to tear up, she closed them, and tried to forget about everything. She rolled over and moaned. After a few minutes of worry and sorrow, she fell into a deep sleep.

"So…when will we find anything?" Kurtiss asked, trying to hide his impatience.

"Soon enough," Josh answered, eyes scanning the street for transportation.

"Wait," Dr. Sarris said, "what's over there?"

She pointed off to the side of the road, and Josh moved his 'torch' over to it. A military jeep had been abandoned on the side of the road, as if it had been planted there just for them.

"Yes!" Kurtiss exclaimed, rushing over to it. The others followed, and examined the vehicle.

The jeep seemed to be in perfect condition, and the keys were even in the ignition. A paper map was spread out on the passenger seat, and all the doors were open.

"This is too convenient," Wilbert stated. "This is either a trap, or we are getting lucky at someone else's misfortune."

"Who cares?" Kurtiss said, hopping into the driver's seat. "The army dudes in this car must be in the forest, or maybe they abandoned their jeep in a hurry because they were attacked. Let's just be thankful we have it."

Then, he reached over to start the ignition. Immediately, Josh yelled, "NO!" However, he started the car anyway.

Smiling, he said, "See? It's not a bomb."

Josh glared at him, and then laughed. "Kurt, one day you're going to get us all killed. But until then, you're a life saver."

Dr. Sarris and Jian climbed into the back seat, along with Wilbert. Kurtiss moved over to allow Josh to get into the driver's seat, and then examined the map.

"Looks like there's a military base not far from here," Kurtiss observed.

Josh leaned over, and corrected, "That's a few hours' drive, buddy."

"Then let's go!"

Josh turned on the headlights, and threw his torch back onto the ground. He moved the vehicle back onto the road, and started down the road towards the military base. "You know which one we're heading to?" Wilbert asked.

Kurtiss showed him the map, and Wilbert closely examined it. "Well, I don't know a thing about military bases. I guess they have to be friendly; it's not like they're going to be shooting us on sight."

Josh sped up a little bit. "Man, this is creepy. It's what, noon, and I can't see a thing! The faster we get to that military base, the better."

"Agreed," more than one person said.

The Luumaothican commander hadn't lost sight of the group of humans that had recently acquired a vehicle. He could kill the humans now at any moment, but he didn't; the alien was having too much fun with them. An image of the jeep was displayed on a consol, and one male was holding a map. Zooming up on it, the commander realized that it would lead them to the human military base that had allied with them.

Too many minds in one place, however, would be dangerous. The former employee at Black Mesa was especially precarious, especially if he had contact with other scientists.

The commander didn't want them dead; not yet, anyway. Instead, he wanted them to be redirected to a separate military base. He was setting up a game of chess with the humans, and was looking forward to watching them fight it out.

A Luumaothican Soldier, armed with a plasma rifle, stepped into the drop tube. The ship's phase drive was fired up, and swirling green energy tore the alien apart, sending his matter down to the street below.

"So Wilbert," Dr. Sarris began, "you said you recovered your memory?"

"Yes," he proudly replied. "Everything in that packet of information was a lie, except for my first name."

"You know why aliens come to us?" Jian asked.

Wilbert explained, "I used to work at this research facility called Black Mesa. Our latest 'project' has been experimenting with cross dimensional travel. We discovered a certain compound that when exposed to the right type of radiation, 'softens' the fabric of space and time; in layman's terms, of course. Anyway, if the crystal is unstable, or the radiation exposure is too great, it creates what we call a resonance cascade. Wormholes will open randomly, more the closer you get to the epicenter. Creatures and objects will be brought through from the border world, and other universes will experience the same events."

Jian, although listening, hardly understood him, so only nodded at the conclusion of his speech.

"It's a crazy world," Josh, in the driver's seat, said.

"Hey." Kurtiss pointed up at a green light on the bottom of the alien ship. "What's that?"

The green light traveled downward very quickly until it was two meters away from the ground. Then, a swirling sphere of light spawned a fearsome looking alien, a little ways from the jeep.

"WHOA!" Josh yelled, as the creature aimed a weapon at them. He instantly opened the door, and jumped out of the car. Kurtiss and Wilbert did the same, and Jian took Rachael and Dr. Sarris in separate arms, and jumped out as well.

The monster caught the vehicle, and sent it spinning away. It landed on the side of the forest, shining its headlights into the road.

The group scattered onto opposite sides of the street, and watched the alien in horror. It had a sleek weapon attached to its arm, with a glowing green rectangle on the side. It aimed the weapon at Jian, and fired.

A bolt of grey plasma shot of out the front end, and Jian barely dodged it. The plasma incinerated the middle sections of a few trees behind them before finally stopping on the forest floor.

Kurtiss took out his sidearm, while Josh armed his assault rifle. Jian unsheathed his sword, and stood in front of Dr. Sarris and Rachael.

"Aim for the eyes!" Kurtiss shouted, squinting one eye to get a good view down the weapon's sights. He lined them up with the creature's orange eye, and fired. The bullet almost hit its target, but only ricocheted away off its forehead.

Josh had a different strategy. He aimed for the weapon the creature was holding, and fired at it. Multiple bullets hit it, but did no damage.

"Do not fire!" Jian shouted, running up to the creature. From behind, he swung his sword at its neck with all of his might. The silver blade stuck a few millimeters into its hard flesh, but went no further.

He pulled it out just as the alien spun around with its left arm's razor of a hand exposed. It tried to use the same tactic to behead Jian, but he ducked out of the way. Knowing the alien's next move, he jumped upward, planted his feet on the alien's shoulders, and drove his sword into its eye.

The blade slid off to the side of the eye, but penetrated between it and the green outer skin. It sunk deep into the skull, and finally stopped at the other side of its head. The orange eye dislodged from the socket, and rolled off.

Jian pulled his sword out, and stepped off the alien in the direction of Josh and Kurtis. "See, sword triumph over—"

"DUCK!" Kurtiss shouted, running towards him. The alien had pointed its cannon towards Jian and was about to fire. The Chinese man jumped to the side, and Kurtiss slid below its firing path. He quickly aimed the alien's gun upward, just as it fired. A bolt of plasma sailed upward through the air, and headed for the underside of the alien command ship.

The next event was unexpected. The projectile, being plasma, passed right through the alien's plasma based shields. Then, the bolt struck the black metal, melting it like a hot knife through butter. It continued upward, wrecking damage on whatever it touched.

"Get back, get back!" Josh commanded, but Kurtiss was already on it. He and Jian scurried away from the alien, just as an explosion was heard where the plasma had struck the ship. Little pieces of molten metal rained down on the forest, and then a large object fell from the alien ship. It landed squarely on the Luumaothican Soldier, completely crushing it.

The alien ship now had a burning wound on the underside, but the rain of fire had stopped. The group gathered around the alien.

"I call that a win," Kurtiss said, looking upward. "So now we know their weapons can damage themselves."

"Wait." Wilbert bent down, examining the squashed creature. Its arm was sticking out of the debris, still attached to the weapon. "And we have one!"

Josh put the assault rifle back over his shoulder, and bent down. He pulled the weapon off the alien, and was surprised to find it very light.

"Where's the trigger?" Kurtiss asked, looking over it. Sure enough, there was none.

Upon close examination, however, there was a hole in the back end, which the alien had slid its hand into. "We'll figure this out later," Wilbert advised. "The aliens won't be happy about that; we need to keep moving."

"Good idea," Josh said, handing the weapon to him. Jian sheathed his sword, and started moving over to the Jeep. Dr. Sarris and Rachael were all right, or at least, weren't harmed any further.

Kurtiss jogged up to the jeep, and then became frantic. The map they were following had been hit by a piece of debris, and was almost completely burned up. "No, NO!"

He picked it up, and quickly flung it to the ground. He stomped out the flame, and then picked up the remaining burnt pieces; it would do them no good now.

"Great," Josh grumbled.

"At least we have the jeep," Wilbert said. "Let's just—"

"Uh, Wilbert," Kurtiss cut him off, looking at the front. "I don't think this jeep will do us any more good."

"Why not? Oh." He saw that there was a hole that went straight through the hood, through the engine, and into the ground. Numerous fluids were pouring out of it, indicating that the car was no longer functional.

"Well, we aren't completely back to square one," Josh said. "We know what direction to go, and we have an alien weapon."

"Whatever the case," Dr. Sarris said, "let's stick to the forest, and keep moving."

The others agreed, and once again, they set off.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Sarah gripped her portal gun with a sweaty hand, flattening herself against the wall. Gradually, she came to the corner, where a red tracking beam cut through the air.

In one movement, she turned around it, and fired a portal under the turret's legs. It slipped through it, and was hurled out of another placed high on a wall a few minutes back. It clattered into a pile of other tipped turrets, and peppered them with bullets before shutting down.

The subject jumped over the portal, and saw the elevator straight ahead. The doors opened, and she entered.

_Five chambers to go!_

Oswald had observed her passage through chamber fourteen, and was impressed at her efficiency. Most subjects before her ended up getting shot, or took a while getting past the turrets. Sarah had completed it with almost record time.

Not letting the prototype out of his grip, he exited the observation room, and headed for fifteen.

At ground level, the transport ship carrying the hacker hovered to a stop in the mostly vacant parking lot. The hacker saw the female subject complete chamber fourteen very quickly, and knew that she would be fine throughout the rest of the chambers. Even so, he lifted a small metal rectangle off a control panel, and placed it on his arm. It fused with the flesh, and a holographic security camera feed was projected above it.

As he and three other Luumaothicans exited the shuttle, he skimmed through the final few chambers. Fifteen might be time consuming, but doable. Sixteen was a little tricky, for a human, but the subject would get past it. Seventeen was a piece of cake, and eighteen was nothing fancy, however the hacker nearly froze when he saw the final chamber.

"We have to get down there, IMMEDIATELY!" he commanded, and the four quickened their pace.

Sarah stepped out of the elevator, and turned her head to the right as she passed by the illuminated sign on her left. Continuing on, she entered a small, concrete room with a large button, directly under a box dropper. The button was linked to a door, and the box dropper was linked to something behind that door.

_This is so tricky._

She stood on the button, and the door opened. To her dismay, the next room had a huge array of metal and concrete plates, lasers and turrets, and numerous small buttons with power strips leading every which way.

-I see you-

It was then Sarah noticed the turret, sitting on the metal floor, aiming straight at her. She lurched to the side, and flattened herself against the wall as the door closed. A few bullets managed to get through it before it was all the way shut, and barely missed her.

_C'mon, pull it together; you're almost done._

Sarah knew that this was a test of quickly analyzing her surroundings, and forced herself to approach the button again. She waited a few seconds for the turret to stop tracking, and then a few more in procrastination.

_You can do this. One…two…three!_

She leapt onto the button, and the door opened. Her eyes quickly scanned the room for a power strip that could lead to the box dropper.

-There you are-

She looked only a second more, and then concluded that, due to the adjoining chamber having a higher ceiling, she could not see which power strip originated from her room.

The turret opened fire as she leapt off the button. A few bullets grazed her left arm, but nothing serious. The door closed, and the turret's red beam scanned the other side of it.

_That's not going to work._

Sarah moved behind the button, so that she was facing the door, and took a deep breath. Then, she walked on to it, and started looking around the next room. She counted six possible places for a portal before she had to get off again.

A couple moments later, she was on it again. She could eliminate two concrete walls, as they were right above active lasers. Another led to a pit she could not see into, but a picture of a stick man being shot was placed above it, so she could make an educated guess as to what awaited anyone down there.

The next time she was on the button, she ruled out another possibility, as it led to a small platform, high above, with no obvious way off of it. She could jump, but most of the chamber was metal, and even if she survived the long fall, she would be 'trapped' in the chamber. There was no button there either, however an inactive blue field indicated that it would be a one way trip.

She moved off again, not wanting any close calls. Remembering what she had seen, she concluded that there were two possible buttons for activating the box dropper. Sarah stood on the button again, and the door opened.

Both possibilities looked identical, with no danger present in either. She chose the one on the left, making a blue portal on its surface. Then, Sarah moved off the button, and created an orange portal on the wall.

Cautiously, she slipped through it, and found herself right where she expected to be; in front of a small button, with a power strip leading to the room with the box dropper.

It was then she noticed the chain link 'tunnel' leading from the small room to another location at her end of the chamber. She could make portals through it, but pass through it with her own body, she could not.

Sarah pressed the button, and waited a few seconds. Sure enough, the door opened, and the turret previously blocking her path was staring a cube.

She turned around, and went back through the blue portal. Sarah quickly ran through the opened door, and passed the turret by. She jogged to the end of the chain link hallway, and came to an automatic door. It opened as soon as she reached it, and closed upon moving through it.

The next room Sarah found herself in was medium sized; about the same as the last one. A network of chain link hallways _and_ floors weaved upward, with turrets positioned at almost every turn. There were a few concrete panels, but portals wouldn't save her life that easily in the labyrinth above.

After a few seconds of looking around, she saw an entrance a few feet away. The metal's color made it blend in with the rest of the chamber, making the exact location of turrets and concrete walls uncertain. Sarah started walking up a few steps, being thankful for the grill being smaller than her knee enhancements, and then noticed something sticky under her feet.

Looking down, she saw a thin layer of blood on the steps. "Ugh," the grimaced, but then backed up, noticing something.

Upon careful examination, Sarah noticed that the blood was in the shape of an arrow, pointing to the right. She exited the stairs, and moved over to the metal wall it was pointing at. Another small blood arrow was pointing at a metal tile that was slightly askew. She moved her fingers around it, and managed to get a grip on one corner.

She pulled on it, at a few angles, until it finally snapped off. Inside the wall was a tiny room, barely big enough to fit in if you were curled up in a ball, with empty cans and plastic jugs. She crawled in, and noticed some writing on the wall. The small, sloppy blood letters spelled out this message:

This is not science. They're goal is not to test us and a device, their goal is the sick entertainment of their computer god. Don't trust any of them; especially the ones who call the computer a 'she'. Many of the 'test', (death,) chambers are easily accomplished; you know, as you have gotten this far. But this one is partially luck. The chain fence tunnels above are just about impossible to navigate. Take this tunnel to freedom.

-A Trusted Friend

She chewed on the words for a little while. She shook her head, and swore to herself that Oswald would never betray her, and to keep trusting him. However, she did agree with one thing; this chamber was based partially on luck. By chance she had chosen the correct button to portal to, and the following chain link structure would be disorienting and pretty much impossible unless you designed it.

She looked back into the chamber, and saw the metal structure. A few cameras were pointed at it, and most of those were turned towards her.

_I die, or…I cheat._

Sarah chose the latter and started crawling through the metal shaft.

Oswald couldn't believe his eyes. He had heard about subjects escaping chambers before, and then finding their bodies, dehydrated and starved, laying in the maintenance shafts, but had never seen one do it.

What really surprised him was that the hacker hadn't started yelling over the intercom yet. He couldn't have just moved on and 'forgotten' about them; his attention must be diverted to something else.

_Better consider ourselves lucky_, he thought, for his sake and Sarah's.

He figured that Sarah would probably want to take the shaft as far as it would go, which would probably be somewhere in chamber seventeen. He exited the observation room, and headed for the chamber after the next.

Sarah came to a turn in the small duct, and saw more writing on the wall. It read:

To the left is the very beginning of chamber sixteen. If you wish to cheat no longer, that is the path you should take. But, if you enjoy life as much as I do, going right will lead you to chamber seventeen, and, even better, a path to the very people who put you here. You have to make a choice; come crying back to an angry mother for evading chores, or come back with a knife, and vengeance. There is no way to escape without bloodshed; just look at me. I suggest you travel to the lower levels, and retrieve their prototype portal gun. It is capable of killing any man without a trace left behind. I know this because I used to work here, and I know much more, which is why I no longer am an observer.

_No_, she thought, refusing to believe that Oswald had watched these chambers all along, without doing anything to help the subjects. _He is on my side, at least now. We're in this together._

She figured that the best thing she could do was not to cheat any more. Sarah proceeded left, and kicked off a metal panel that clattered to the floor of chamber sixteen.

The squad of Luumaothicans entered the facility, plasma rifles loaded and ready to fire, and quickly moved through the area. The hacker, in back, pulled up the security camera feed again, and saw the male, just arriving in an observation room. The hacker saw that he was carrying an unknown device. It looked like the portal gun the female was wielding, but different. He had the soldiers quicken their pace again.

Sarah got up off the metal floor, and stretched her legs. She was now very hungry, and all the physical activity didn't help a growing fatigue much. Looking around, she found herself at the entrance of the chamber; a closed elevator on her left, a black sign directly in front of her, and to the right was a large, mostly metal chamber.

She moved to the end of the hallway, and looked around. The chamber had just about every element she had ever seen, all combined and arranged in a mad pattern.

_This is going to take a while._

Oswald's footsteps echoed in the empty hallway, as well as in his own head. His breathing and heartbeat added to the rhythm, creating a form of percussion only music.

About halfway to his destination, the rhythm changed. Something seemed irregular, so he stopped. The footsteps continued; many of them.

Upon seeing shadows from around a corner, he immediately opened a door to a storage closet and slipped in. He didn't dare close the door, hearing the noise come closer. The footsteps were heavy, as if sumo wrestlers were stomping by.

Oswald squeezed into the darkest corner as far as he could as they grew closer. Just as he thought they were about to stop and find him, they passed, and kept going.

Peeking his head into the hallway, he saw four large, green, humanoid entities. Three had medium sized, sleek, metal devices attached to their arm, while the fourth had a hologram projected above its arm.

_What the…?_

Now bewildered, Mr. Colek stumbled out of the supplies closet, and started running the other direction from the creatures. However, in his hurry, he tripped on a broom, and came out of the closet face first, moving at full speed.

He slammed onto the cold floor, followed by the broomstick that had foiled him. The prototype fell to the ground as well, and skidded a few feet away from him. The four entities stopped.

_Now I've done it._

They turned around, and he saw the alien with the hologram say something. Then, it started applying a substance to its mouth and sides of its head. The three others lowered their weapons.

Suddenly, a grey assistance android burst out of the closed, and a small pistol protruded from its arm.

-I am remotely controlling all defensive measures. Oswald, RUN-

Oswald, taking GLaDOS's advice, sprang to his feet, picked up the prototype, and started running in the opposite direction. The android fired at the aliens, but the bullets seemed to have no effect.

Then, a tranquilizer turret flipped out of the side of the wall. It shot multiple darts at the four creatures, but they seemed to be completely resistant to them. The three armed aliens brought out their weapons, and started to return fire.

As he turned the corner, Oswald heard the sound of metal chunks hitting the ground, and ricocheting bullets. The battle wasn't going well for the androids.

_Stay focused. Just go to the observation room for chamber nineteen._

Skipping the others, he made his way towards the final test chamber without looking back.

Sweating and wheezing, Sarah flopped into the elevator. The last chamber included nearly ten minutes of constant movement, after almost twenty of trying to figure everything out.

_Just three more, just three more…_

She wanted to pass out, and to finish the chambers after resting, but figured that she would only wake up hungrier and weaker than before.

The elevator lurched upward, and began ascending to the next chamber. Sarah pondered whether it would have been better to just skip the last chamber, and to go straight to seventeen, but figured she was lucky to have skipped anything at all without the hacker knowing.

_Then again, if I got away with that, I could've gotten away with skipping much more, couldn't I have?_

More 'what ifs' entered her mind, only tiring her more. She forced them all out of her thoughts, and curled up on the elevator's metal floor.

Just after achieving this peace, the elevator stopped again, and the doors opened. There was no entrance hallway this time; only one big room. And this chamber looked even more challenging than the rest.

Sarah moaned, and closed her eyes again. She almost drifted off to sleep, but forced herself to get up, remembering how close she was to the end.

She picked up the portal gun, and trudged into the large chamber. Above her was a layer of chain link metal and above that was a bizarre collection of lasers, turrets, buttons, and boxes, many of which on moving platforms.

_Ugh…okay, where do I begin?_

Straight ahead was a door, presumably leading directly to another elevator. She scanned for an activation device to open it, but found none.

_That's weird._

Sarah looked around, and didn't even see any power strips leading to the door; it was just a door.

She approached it, wondering if it was automatic. She chuckled at the thought, but stopped dead in her tracks when it opened. Straight ahead was the elevator.

She stood there, speechless for a few moments, and then laughed out loud. The chamber was designed to work together with the last chamber to test a subject's will to go on, and how complex things could hinder very simple solutions.

Now with her confidence restored, Sarah entered the elevator, and let it take her up to the penultimate chamber.

The ride was only a few seconds before ending. The doors opened, and Sarah found herself looking down a very narrow hallway. It was so tight, that the illuminated sign was positioned in the main chamber.

She squeezed into it, barely fitting, and started sliding down it. She could see the end about two meters away, and ultimately a large, metal chamber. Just as she was about to get to the end, a powerful red laser shot through the air, right across the entrance. It shut off, and then turned back on.

It continued blinking on and off for a little while, before Sarah tried finding a pattern.

_ONE two three FOUR FIVE six SEVEN eight nine ten eleven TWELVE thirteen FOURTEEN FIFTEEN SIXTEEN seventeen eighteen nineteen TWENTY…_

She continued counting until she realized that it was set up at random intervals, and if there was a pattern, it would be near impossible to memorize or prepare for.

Instead, she waited for it to activate multiple times in a row. Upon stopping for a second, she squeezed out of the hallway and into the main chamber, still holding her portal gun. The laser didn't activate for a few seconds after she cleared it, but then resumed its random firing cycle.

Looking upward, Sarah could see two chain link sections, dividing the chamber into three parts. The first, where she was at, contained nothing but the illuminated display, and a single section of concrete tile. The second had another single section of tile behind a red field, which was linked by an energy strip to a button on the third section.

The third section had a cube on the button, and the pulsing laser on the ceiling. The cube, however, was protected by a box of red fields, linked to a button and the other end of the chamber.

_This looks simple enough._

Sarah portalled up to the top, and walked over to the button. She pressed it, but upon turning around, saw the red fields still in place.

She held the button down this time, and saw the fields dissipate, but came back online once she let the button go.

_Huh?_

She thought about it for a few moments, and then moved over to the cube. She got as close to the field as she dared, and tried to levitate the cube with her portal gun. Alas, it was just out of her reach.

Sarah paced back in forth for a few minutes, thinking of all other possibilities. She only thought of one, and ruled it out due to it being too risky. However, the more time that passed, the more she realized that it was the only possibility.

_Alright, I have one shot at this._

Sarah walked over to the button, and pressed it. Then, while keeping her left hand on the button, she turned her body, and then whipped it, and her portal gun around. She threw her portal gun in the direction of the cube, but it only bounced off the corner. The cube moved a little ways, but otherwise, stayed put.

Luckily, the portal gun was now out of the way of the field generators. Its owner picked it back up, and then moved over to the cube.

_Well…that didn't work._

She walked around the cube a few times, thinking. Then, she observed that it _had_ moved, if only a little bit. The raised edges on the button would prevent her from pushing it off, but pulling it off was another story.

Sarah moved over to the side of the energy field box most exposed, and moved her portal gun only an inch away from it. She activated its levitation abilities, and by miracle, the box was levitated! She only had to back away from the energy box and let the cube be vaporized. The red field blocking her progress to the second level deactivated.

_Yes!_

Sarah placed a portal on her level, and the second level, and slid through it. The instant she did so, however, the red field came back online, and multiple doors opened all over the second level.

On one side of the room was a row of sentries. On the other side was a row of friendly sentries. Sarah's eyes darted around for a split second, looking for a way out.

At the other side of the room was an elevator, open and waiting. She took off in its direction, sprinting as fast as she could to get to it.

-Activated- Each turret 'said' this at the same time, locking beams with each other, creating a grid. Sarah didn't stop running.

About four fifths to the elevator, the turrets started firing at each other. Sarah narrowly avoided getting shot herself, until just as she was entering the elevator.

A lone turret, behind the section of concrete wall at the end of the hallway, fired multiple shots at her back. Sarah saw her own blood splattered on the back of the elevator, and stopped in her tracks.

Her portal gun slipped from her fingers, and fell partially inside the elevator. The doors closed, crushing the portal gun's glass section. Sarah bent down to pick up the remaining half, but ended up falling over next to it.

The elevator started moving upwards, but she hardly noticed it. Through her blurred vision, she saw that there were at least five or six bullet penetrations from her back and through her chest. Her orange jumpsuit had growing blotches of red on it, and she would have been dead altogether if it weren't for the turrets being programmed not to aim to kill.

Sarah grasped on to the end of the portal gun, and saw that the front had been smashed off. She rotated the handle, and a shower of blue sparks came out the front. Her eyes began to tear up.

_I was so close…_

The elevator stopped, and Sarah turned her head to look into the final chamber. She saw a concrete wall, very close to where the elevator was.

Her body began to heal itself, not quickly enough to save her life, but fast enough for her to be able to complete this chamber.

Sarah forced herself up, and moved out of the elevator. She leaned against the wall, slowly moving across the metal floor. She knew that without her portal gun, she was doomed, but she wanted to try anyway.

Sarah then fell into a shallow chasm, and struggled just to get up. She looked around, and saw an observation chamber. Oswald burst into it at that moment, and rushed over to the glass. Seeing her state, he got a panicked expression on his face.

Then, something started moving in the chamber. A pusher of some sort was activated in the entrance, forcing any subjects into the chasm. Then, the far back wall of the chasm started moving forward. There was no way out.

Oswald, in the observation chamber, had never seen the last room. Shocked at its 'insolvability', he picked up an information clipboard. He discovered that if the subject had gotten this far, then they had never been faced with a certain death situation. This was to see how they would act in such an environment.

_These chambers are impossible to win…_

Sarah had slumped against the moving wall, desperately looking around for a way out. Ahead of her, she saw a portal generator, and through the wavy glass, she saw another one in the observation chamber, but it seemed that there was no way to activate it. Dried blood on the concrete ahead, and behind her confirmed that this chamber was a deathtrap.

The wall had now moved about three fourths through the chasm, pushing the almost lifeless Sarah along. Oswald turned and looked at the portal generator, begging it to open.

At that exact moment, the four aliens had fought through the androids, and had reached a maintenance terminal. The hacker quickly did what he did best, and with only moments to spare, the portal in the observation room opened, linked to the one in the test chamber.

Sarah, instantly got up, and, for her condition, quickly made her way through the portal. She fell into Oswald's arms, and the two embraced each other.

"Sarah, when we get out of here, I'm going to buy you the biggest peach pie I can find."

"Oswald," she whimpered, "I don't feel so good." Then, having lost most of her strength, her legs gave out on her. He quickly caught her, and then picked her up, placing the prototype in her hands.

"C'mon, don't give up now. We're almost out of this," he encouraged.

"What-what was that chamber? You've been murdering people!"

He explained, "I never saw this one, believe me. I didn't want to speak out about any of this, fearing they would put me right down there next. That doesn't matter now. You're safe, and _we_ won."

Oswald then exited the room, carrying Sarah, and started moving towards the surface. Sarah's legs were supported by his right arm, while her back was on his left. One arm was slung over his head, with it and the other holding the prototype.

She had lost, and was still losing a lot of blood, and was slowly slipping out of consciousness.

They turned a corner, and found themselves staring directly at the four aliens.

Sarah didn't make a sound, but she did fire the prototype at one. The creature was thrown backwards, and made a screeching noise as it was vaporized. Another two holding weapons, and a third were still standing.

Before she could fire again, one alien flicked something at the two. Sarah and Oswald both felt miniscule pricks on their body. Sarah tried to pull the trigger again, but couldn't, and fell limp.

"N-," Oswald got out, before dropping Sarah's unconscious body onto the floor. He fell on top of her in the same state.

The two soldiers each picked up one body, and quickly started moving towards the surface again. Just before the hacker was about to leave, however, he stopped, seeing a human device on the ground.

He bent down, and picked up the prototype portal gun. "The humans have created an anti-matter weapon," he spoke into a communications unit. "I am going to bring it to the research base with the humans, where we can analyze, reverse engineer, and reproduce it."

Sarah and Oswald were placed on thin metal stretchers that hovered above the ground. As the two were taken outside, they regained a glimmer of consciousness. Thunder boomed throughout the sky as rain started to fall. Oswald could see some stars, but a large portion of the night sky was blocked by a large, black object.

Rain droplets fell onto the caked blood on Sarah's face, washing some of it off. Through only partially opened eyes, she saw Oswald being moved on a similar platform. She extended an arm out to him, and he did the same. For a brief moment, their fingers locked, but then a powerful energy field brought their arms back to their sides. The last thing either of them saw was being loaded into the transport ship, and the hacker, saying in English, "Congratulations."


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Sanchali opened her eyes, recalling the day's events. Groggily, she got out of her bunk, and looked around the room. More people were sleeping in the room, wearing a variety of outfits. Many looked like civilians, and a few looked like teenagers.

Her stomach ached with hunger, reminding her that she had not eaten all day. Quietly, she opened the door, and scanned the hallway. It looked exactly like it did a few hours ago; people scurrying to and fro, some of which in hazmat suits, others in black jumpsuits, but most of which in suits, and all of which paying no attention to Sanchali.

_The cafeteria is on the first floor_, she remembered.

She closed the door, and merged herself with the stream of people passing down the hallway. She tried to take the same route Mr. Burcin had used to lead her down here, back to the top, but many people were heading there anyway, so she only needed to follow them.

She noticed that everyone walked in a quick, almost nervous pace. She moved a little faster to keep up, not wanting to stick out. The group led her to a crowded stairwell, and she followed them into it.

After climbing about a flight, she heard someone shout, "MOVE, MOVE!"

Instantly, people squeezed themselves to either side of the stairs, as a group of workers in hazmat suits stormed past them. They were carrying chrome weapons of which she had never seen before. She looked around, trying to spot another amazed face. Nobody seemed to care, and once the group had passed, they continued upward.

Finally reaching the first floor, Sanchali noticed the group begin to fragment, and spread out in separate directions. The cafeteria was still nowhere in sight.

Boldly, she tapped the shoulder of a man in a dark blue suit. "Excuse me, which way to the cafeteria?" But before she could finish her sentence, the man was well out of hearing distance.

Slightly perturbed, she turned to another, and asked, "Pardon me, can you direct me to the cafeteria?"

He too was either too busy or stuck up to respond to her. She assumed the latter, and moved on. She turned back to the stairs, and saw two people in black jumpsuits come her way. "Excuse me, where is—"

But instead of stopping to listen, as she assumed them to, the two pushed their way right through her, and continued down the hallway. Sanchali was knocked to the side, where she fell into three other people, bringing them down with her.

"Watch it, lady!"

"Don't disrupt Black Ops personnel, woman!"

She got up, but when she offered a hand to help another man to his feet, he pushed her away.

Despite the remarks being thrown at her with a slight sexist tone, she politely replied, "I'm sorry, I'm new here. Can you please direct me to the cafeteria?" she asked, and then added, "So I can get out of your way?"

One man pointed down a hallway, with his other arm brushing off his suit. "I recommend you stay there."

"Thanks," she said, trying not to sound like she was clenching her teeth together. Sanchali then started moving in the direction the man had showed her. After a few steps, she realized that she was clenching her hands into white knuckled fists.

_Keep cool, girl. Life's just one big game…_

Behind her, the group of men she had knocked into talked amongst themselves.

"I can't believe we did that," one guiltily said.

"They have a plan for her; otherwise they wouldn't have set all this up," the second said, watching the woman disappear from view.

"I hope she'll be okay," the first optimized.

"Judging from who brought her in," the third replied, "I can almost guarantee she won't be."

The Black Ops ahead of them had been given a similar order, but unlike the three in suits, they showed no emotion or regret about it.

Through a security camera, Mr. Burcin and a few other personnel observed the incident with Sanchali, and more importantly, her reaction.

"Mr. Burcin," one said, "you're not as crazy as I thought after all! A few more 'encounters' like that, and you will have broken her like she had gone through a month of boot camp! I still don't understand your motives, however."

He explained, "We selected people for their skills. Skills that would help make a brighter tomorrow."

"Go on," the other man replied.

"We're going to need soldiers, and lots of them. She's strong, accidentally now has revenge motives, has no close friends or family, and, speaking in terms of fighting other nations, is slightly attractive."

"But she's a civilian!" The man complained. "Why not use standard boot camp methods, and furthermore, she possesses a skill others like her don't; _entertainment_! For crying out loud, she's a basketball player, not a kick boxer!"

Mr. Burcin smiled. "Then think of this as…an experiment."

Sanchali stood at the back of the line in the cafeteria, slowly advancing. Most of the people were in suits, although a few wore civilian clothing, indicating that they were new also. Finally reaching the counter, she picked up a tray. It was metal and cold, with rigid corners.

As the line inched ahead, she saw that the cafeteria didn't work like she had expected. Instead of many food items like a buffet, there were _two_. One chef, using a mighty ladle, slapped a heap of some sort of viscous, pudding like food onto half of her tray. The second had a steaming casserole, which landed on her plate, halfway inside the first food.

She grumbled, and kept moving.

"The subjects have been successfully moved to the facility, and have received nutrient chips in their bloodstream."

"Good," a second Luumaothican replied. "What about the anti-matter weapon?"

"We analyzed it, and are running into some…issues," the stated.

"What kind?"

He explained, "It was created by accident. The crystalline structure is flawed by chance; impossible to recreate."

After a moment, the second asked, "Do you have any good news about it?"

"Yes," the first answered. "Although we cannot reverse engineer it, we can upgrade the power source exponentially! We can also integrate the firing mechanism to be compatible with any soldier or ship."

"How powerful can you make it?" The second asked, intrigued.

"Drawing power from…say…a midsized fighter, it would be able to fire almost a constant stream."

"Very nice," he approved. "Commence with testing on the humans immediately. As always, start with non-lethal."

"We will immediately. May the Luumaothican Empire flourish."

"Indeed."

Sanchali, now holding her lunch tray with a pile of 'mystery casserole' and another grey sludge, stood in the corner of the cafeteria. Looking around the room, most of the tables were full of people eating. Only seldom did more than one person start speaking, and even more rarely was that to another person.

She finally selected an empty portion of a table to plop down at, and did so.

Then, she realized that she had forgotten to get silverware. Just before doing anything about it, however, she noticed a man holding a spare plastic fork out to her.

Looking up, she did not recognize the man. He looked out of place, wearing a shirt with a skull on it, but having neat, combed hair. "Here," he said. "I'll manage with just a spoon."

She took the fork, awestruck. "Scott?"

He sat down, exhaling a deep breath. "Whatever I did to you earlier, however I was acting, please; forgive me."

She held the fork, not eating or saying a word. Scott looked more stressed than she was.

"I have a drinking problem, I won't hide it," he admitted, digging into his food. Sanchali did the same and after a few bites of her not talking, he began again. "I'm sorry, I've had it for a couple of years now. I keep trying to stay away from it, but…I always 'wake up' gripping onto that blasted golf club."

Sanchali still said nothing.

"Please!" he begged. "I was drunk! I'm an alcoholic!"

"That doesn't excuse you from your actions…"

"I know!" he almost shouted, attracting a few quick glances. "I know," he repeated, more quietly. "I've been trying to quit since day one. Can't even remember how it started."

For the first time, Sanchali started to understand the man. "I-I don't know what to say, but…if you say you were drunk, but trying to quit then…"

"No," He shook his head. "You shouldn't forgive me this easily. I've apologized to so many people for my wrongs, and time after time I've let them down. Blast it; I'm craving it right now!"

Seeing this man so angry at himself forced Sanchali to forgive him. "That wasn't you, I forgive you."

He stuck his utensil into his food, and put his head in his hands. "Those words…have been spoken so many ways by so many people. Each one of them I let down."

She uneasily asked, "Have you…tried seeking a rehabilitation center?"

"Yes," he moaned, "multiple times. I was in one earlier today, believe it or not. Then when…this happened, I just needed a drink to calm down; to think clearly. And then one became two…and two became three…I almost wish Mr. Burcin hadn't picked me up."

Sanchali looked around, seeing if anyone was eavesdropping on their conversation. She turned back to Scott, still grieving about his life.

"This is how I've lost my friends, my family, my money," he wept, "my life."

"We're they all in New York?" She asked. "Maybe others could have survived, if they were far enough away. I'm sure they still care about you."

The man looked up, absolutely miserable. "My parents are _dead_, all nearby relatives completely cut off connection to me, and the only other person I have is my brother; and he hates me and is probably dead too!"

She ate more of her tasteless food, letting the man pour out his life's woes. "I don't know how he escaped my…affliction. He has this little apartment and is about as blue collar as you can get. Was saving money for a house fund, last time I talked to him."

"Maybe he escaped," she tried to remain positive for him. "Maybe he's in this building right now!"

"Doubt it," he replied. "He couldn't get anywhere in that rusty pickup truck of his."

A switch then clicked in Sanchali's head. "What did he look like?" She asked.

"Oh," he answered, "dark blonde hair, about the same length as mine. A little scruffy looking, and he doesn't have great conversational skills with strangers."

"And his name?" A smile crept across the right side of her lips. Revenge might not be so far out of reach.

"Kurtiss Votow, brother to the most pitiful man alive," he took another bite, but the food had no taste to him. He continued eating anyway.

The smile vanished, and so did Sanchali's evil intent. She looked Scott in the eye. "Kurtiss stands a good chance of being alive, I reckon. I saw someone in a beat up pickup truck cruise past us in the city."

"I think I remember that." Scott scratched his bristly chin. "You…you were shouting at them I think."

Not wanting to cause him any more grief with her revenge intents, she quickly said, "I don't think I was shouting."

"Yes…yes you were," he squinted his eyes, remembering. "You even threw your flashlight at them!"

She smiled, trying to make him think it was just the alcohol.

"Oh," he concluded, "you were trying to get their attention."

Relieved, she took another bite of food. "Yeah, I was. I thought we didn't have a car."

"Understandable," Scott replied. "I'm sorry if I assumed anything; you have no idea what I'm going through right now."

"I'll help you get through this," she encouraged. "I'm no therapy expert but…we can try."

"Therapy doesn't work…" he grumbled, recalling past experiences.

"We'll give it a try," she persisted. "First step; do you have any alcohol with you?"

He nodded. He would have been embarrassed if this was the first time, but alas, it was not.

"Get rid of it. We're going cold turkey, and we're starting today."

"Bad idea," he groaned. "Every time I try to get rid of that bottle, it only ends up in my stomach. And some people say I'm more viscous craving alcohol than drunk."

"Well…I don't know…try slowly diluting it with water until you don't need alcohol anymore?"

He shook his head. "I wish it were that simple."

She then grabbed on to one of his hands. "Look; I'm no therapist, but I've helped teammates get over steroids before. I have experience with people; I can help you."

"Thanks," he replied. "I'm probably going to be stumbling around with that golf club again, but I know you'll be there for me."

"You can do it," she said. "Just get rid of the bottle, or ask someone to take it away from you while you're sober. The hangover will go away after awhile; you'll be fine."

"I can't tell you how many times I've heard those words."

"Then make this the last."

The two smiled at each other, and continued consuming their dinner.

Via another security camera, the same two men observed the conversation between Sanchali and Scott.

"You picked quite a pair there," the man commented, admiring the mix of insanity and genius in Rick.

"Yes," Mr. Burcin replied. "The alcoholic will probably turn out to be a benefit more than a problem."

"Really?"

"The woman promised to help him with his drinking problem, and the man tries to help himself. He carries a personal canister on him, doesn't he?"

"We didn't dare separate him from it when he came in," he chuckled, remembering the look on Scott's face when they asked for it, and even better, how quickly the guard said 'never mind'.

"While he's asleep, or just drank himself into a stupor, I want you to put addictive chemicals, strong alcohols, anything that would spice it up a bit, into his canister," Rick ordered. "We'll turn him into a caged weapon, and completely shatter the girl's spirit in a fraction of the time it would normally take."

"You're a sick man, Mr. Burcin."

"That's why I have the job."

The group had been moving through the forest all day now. They finally stopped for the night when they found a tiny outpost of some sort with running water.

It wasn't very big on the inside, and it was nice night outside, so they decided to make a campfire around it. After the group had drank water until their bellies were full, they lie around the campfire, looking up at the sky, or rather, the underbelly of the mammoth alien vessel.

"What a day," Wilbert commented, stretching out on the ground.

"I say we're doing pretty good," Josh said, recalling their progress. "This little building here might not be much, but it probably means we're approaching a military base or something. If we can get there, we'll be all set."

Kurtiss was still inspecting the alien weapon. He was so indulged in it, he would have left the powerful pistol behind if Josh hadn't taken it.

Cautiously, while aiming it at the building, he poked a stick into the back end of the weapon. Nothing happened.

"I think alien technology is a bit more complicated than that," Josh said, seeing what he was doing.

"Maybe I should try more sticks," Kurtiss mumbled, prodding multiple twigs around inside it. A few internal parts were pushed down, but otherwise, nothing happened.

"Kurt," Josh moved over to him, "you're not going to accomplish anything. Stop messing with it."

He groaned, and put it down. "I guess the military experts will try something else, like metal sticks."

Josh chuckled. "For all you know, that might be what will make it work."

He shrugged, and then yawned. "I'm hungry."

"We all are," Dr. Sarris moaned the obvious. "Just try to get some sleep. The human body can survive awhile without food, especially if all you're doing is walking on solid ground."

This only made Kurtiss moan again. "I might survive, you probably won't."

Josh laughed out loud, preventing Kurtiss from maintaining his straight face. Wilbert snorted, and even Jian smiled.

The doctor only rolled her eyes.

_Boys will be boys…_

She then looked down at Rachael. Surprisingly, she wasn't complaining about food, but was awake. "Rachael, are you alright."

"I don't feel good," she barely whispered. Upon looking at her face in the light from the fire, the doctor gasped.

"She's turning pale!"

"That can't be just a cold," Wilbert worriedly inspected the small girl.

"That's what she had this morning! The virus looks like its mutating, but this is at impossible speeds. I can't think of anything that gives symptoms of a cold one minute, and within a few hours, is _killing_ you."

"The faster we reach military," Jian stated, "the better."

Picking Rachael up, the doctor took her into the building for more water. Jian unsheathed his sword, and inspected it.

"Alien damage sword like striking metal beam," he said, looking it over. "Must remember that eye is weak point."

"That still didn't kill it," Kurtiss sat up. "It had to be completely smashed that one time, and earlier today, I shot it in the brain with a Desert Eagle; still didn't die!"

"It did after something hit it in the back of the head," Josh argued.

"For all we know," he replied, "we just knocked it out."

"Whatever the case," Josh said, "Team Humans: 2. Team Aliens…" he trailed off.

Kurtiss finished, "Let's just keep our own score."

Dr. Sarris brought Rachael out of the building, holding onto her hand. She had to use another to keep her stable, but ended up carrying the half conscious girl back to the fire. "The first person to wake up tomorrow should wake everyone else up. No matter how early it may be, we need to keep moving."

"Hey!" Kurtiss exclaimed, pointing upward. "I think the big alien ship moved!"

"How can you tell?" Josh asked.

"Look!" He got everyone's attention. "Stars!"

Upon seeing them, they gasped at their beauty. "There's so many," Dr. Sarris said, awestruck. "We never would have seen this without the city being dark!"

Josh smiled. "Wow. I heard it was amazing at night out in the country, but this is just beautiful!"

Everyone, even Rachael, looked up to admire its beauty. Then, Wilbert spoke up. "I've seen the night sky without any lights before. This isn't it."

"What?" Kurtiss, confused, turned to Wilbert. "What are you talking about 'this isn't it'?"

"Yeah Wilbert," Josh joined in. "Why do you have to be such a party pooper?"

"Those aren't stars. Stars don't move."

The group, first confused, and then fearful looked up at the sky again, and sure enough, very few 'stars' were staying in one place.

"Those are engines," Wilbert concluded. "The alien fleet."

Kurtiss' mouth hung open, unable to speak. Jian sheathed his sword, and dropped it to the ground. "Our enemy…"

Josh too was completely mesmerized by the sight. "Millions…of ships…"


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Sergeant Houghton awoke, and sat up. He rubbed the bump on the back of his head, praying it wouldn't develop into a concussion. He stood up, and noticed that the bomb had still not gone off.

_Whew_

-Houghton, the rest of the group is leaving the facility. I suggest you move quickly if you want to catch up-

He took GLaDOS's advice, and looked around. "Which way?"

-Turn left, and go through the open door. Then turn right, and continue until further instructions-

"Will do, Ms., uh, Computer Lady," he replied, following 'her' instructions.

"This way!" Faustine shouted, running down the large hallway meant for the large yellow robots. Ahead of them was a sealed blast door, leading to the exit.

The group sprinted away from the horde of zombies behind them. Lexine was running backwards, firing perfect shots at them.

-I'm going to override the security on the blast doors. Stand by-

The group reached them, and continued firing at the horde. Lexine's suit stopped, and started mauling the creatures without a weapon, (unless you consider the suit a weapon by itself.) Faustine fired at the few that got past her.

Then, the door creaked, and started to open. "Daylight!" Dr. Thomson exclaimed, running out into it.

-You go ahead! I'll stay behind and hold them off- The suit bleeped.

"WHAT!" Lexine and Dr. Meijer shouted at the same time.

-Kidding-

Lexine disengaged from the zombies, and sprinted ahead through the door. Dr. Meijer followed her, and Faustine was the last to exit, still firing at the horde. The blast door closed and sealed itself, preventing any of the possessed scientists from escaping.

Lexine looked around the sky, and saw a huge, black object covering a third of it. The sun still shined high in the sky, but it too was partially blocked by a colossal structure being built directly above Black Mesa.

The group reassembled, and spotted a helicopter sitting on the ground. There was no pilot, but it was intact and ready to take off.

Then, an explosion was heard. They turned and saw some soldiers desperately shooting at a fifteen foot alien, firing a strange weapon that seemed to have been capable of destroying tanks with a single shot.

_It might have been safer down there_, Lexine thought.

"C'mon!" Dr. Thomson shouted, running towards the helicopter. A soldier spotted the group, and started running over to them.

Upon catching up with them, he introduced himself while still running. "I'm General Pierce. Are there any more of you?"

"Sergeant Houghton is still in the facility," Dr. Meijer answered, "but I doubt he made it."

Faustine then looked down, and saw Puggy running beside her. "This is Puggy; they aren't hostile!"

Pierce shrugged his shoulders, still running alongside the rest.

"WE CAN'T TAKE THIS THING DOWN!" His radio picked up a soldier.

"Your orders are to hold it off!" he shouted back.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," the soldier replied in a quiet tone, just before it cut to static. The general looked over at the monster as it screeched in victory of its last kill. The group was nearing the helicopter, ready to escape the facility.

Houghton was about to go through a metal door, when GLaDOS told him to stop. "What's the problem?" He asked.

-The exit the others took has been sealed due to an _infestation_-

"Ugh, is there another route?"

-There is. On the wall a few feet away is an air duct. Remove the grill, and climb in-

The soldier did as instructed, but didn't climb in right away. Seeing the dark interior, he questioned, "Are you sure it's safe in there?"

-I scanned it for hostiles; there are none-

"Alright, some good news." With that, he climbed in, and started crawling through the narrow, metal passage.

_Good thing I'm not claustrophobic_, he thought to himself.

He reached a T section, and stopped. "Which way?"

The computer's voice was far away, and had to be amplified to echo through the tunnel. -Left-

Houghton continued crawling, and then saw a faint light at the end of the shaft. He reached it, and after a few attempts, pushed off the metal covering. He then entered a large, round pipe, made of a horribly rusted, brown metal. Numerous other air vents led into the facility from it. The pipe itself made its way further down, slowly darkening to a complete blackness at the other end. Houghton went the way that light was coming from.

He finally reached a metal grill at the end of the pipe, leading outside. He kicked it open, and saw the group along with the general near the helicopter.

He was too far away to reach them in time, so he had to think fast. He then drew a pistol, squinted one eye, and aimed at Lexine.

_I'm going to regret this._

He fired, and that bullet, as expected bounced off her suit. Lexine immediately turned around, and her suit reached down to grab her pistol. "Stop, stop!" she commanded, seeing that it was Houghton.

The suit and the group stopped, as the soldier quickly scampered down from the air duct. He began running over to them, and then started to point to the left ferociously.

The group turned, and saw the huge alien approach. "Get on the helicopter!" the general commanded, approaching the alien with his rifle armed. "It's just you and me," he mumbled to himself.

Houghton, finally catching up to the group, caught the general's attention. He turned, and asked, "Where's Ubel?"

"We had some issues," Houghton shouted back. "Started killing people, and the private, but don't worry; he's dead."

The general nodded. "Get into the helicopter! I'm going to take this ugly sonnama beech down, and catch up with you later. Get going!"

He didn't question his orders or hesitate, and jumped into the pilot's seat. Starting the rotors, he began the takeoff sequence.

General Pierce started firing at the alien, drawing its attention. Everyone except Lexine had boarded the helicopter, and buckled themselves in. "C'mon, get on!" Dr. Thomson shouted, making Lexine turn away from the brave general.

As the helicopter started to get off the ground, Lexine climbed in. The alien aimed its plasma cannon at Pierce, and was about to fire as he launched an explosive shell into it. The complex gun exploded in a blue fireball, and fell in pieces off the alien.

Puggy, becoming aggravated by the alien, started to 'charge' for a pulse. Faustine immediately told it 'NO', and it stopped.

As the helicopter gained some altitude, the passengers watched as the alien whipped its arm at the soldier. He was launched into the air at the vast alien structure, and disappeared in a flash of green light upon hitting it.

The helicopter turned away, and started sailing into the desert. The group looked down, not saying a word. "General Pierce gave his life for us," Dr. Thomson said, bowing his head. "We can't let it be in vain."

In the front, Houghton unwillingly heard this. He took off his headset, and slammed his fist against his leg. Then, he looked into one of the helicopters mirrors, and saw a large green figure rapidly approach them.

_Are you kidding me?_

"INCOMING!" He shouted, pulling the helicopter into a tight curve. Lexine had forgotten to buckle in, and slipped out of her seat. Her suit automatically grabbed onto the nearest object; the skids.

The alien extended its 'fingers', and grabbed onto Lexine's legs. It fell downwards, and pulled the woman, and the helicopter down with it.

"Dr. Stapleton, LET GO!" Dr. Meijer shouted. "You'll kill us all!"

After a moment of thought, she finally gave the order. "Suit; let go."

-Acknowledged-

The suit then let go of the helicopter, and fell down with the alien. It landed in the sand, just outside Black Mesa, and hurled Lexine back up at the helicopter.

Thankfully, Houghton had already turned the helicopter, and it had now gained enough altitude to be well out of harm's way.

Dr. Meijer yelled, "We have to go back for her!"

Dr. Thomson answered, "She's in an HEV! She can take care of herself!"

They decided to keep going without her and head for a military base.

Lexine, on the other hand, was not so fortunate. She eventually fell back down, and was hit like a baseball by the Luumaothican Warrior. She sailed through the air, and smacked against the side of a stone wall. Then, the unfortunate woman fell the remaining twenty feet down to the ground, but the suit managed to land gracefully.

Lexine felt multiple bones break before the suit administered morphine. She knew that she would have been dead altogether if it weren't for her suit's protection. She saw the alien in the distance start charging towards her.

"Are you sure you can take this thing on?" she anxiously asked her suit. "From the looks of it, this thing was taking out tanks, airplanes; a whole army!"

-I was designed for the same purposes-

The alien continued running at her, and being three times her height, and many times her _suit's_ strength, the odds didn't look good.

The suit then charged at the alien in a similar fashion. It then leapt into the air, and started landing blows upon its face. The alien swung its arms at her, but she was more agile.

The alien's skin, however, was a bit different. It was like punching concrete, only the concrete punched back.

The suit jumped off the alien's arm that just failed to knock her feet out from under her, and started traveling upward to its face again. However, another arm smacked Lexine out of the air, and she landed on the asphalt, creating a small crater.

The suit lie motionless for a moment, making Lexine worry.

_C'mon suit, don't give up!_

Just as the alien was about to drive its sharp arm down into her, she flipped backwards out of the way. Then, she ran and jumped again, continuing to attack the alien's head.

"I don't think this is working!" she shouted at her suit. The alien again whipped its arms around, trying to catch Lexine in her suit.

Then, the suit turned, and started running away from the alien. It jumped into the air, easily catching up from above.

Lexine sprinted out of the way, and picked up _two _of the soldiers' shotguns. Holding each one in front of her, she ran again at the alien, firing shell after shell at its face.

They had no effect. The projectiles simply bounced off the alien's skin. A few made little nicks and scratches on its eyes, but otherwise did no damage.

The suit threw the guns aside, as it was time once again to dodge the alien. Then, Lexine threw her legs in front of her, grabbing grenades off a dead soldier's body as she slid across the ground. Holding them in one hand, the suit got back to its feet, and ran in the direction of a destroyed tank.

She reached her other arm upward, and grabbed onto the tank's long gun. It turned the mount around, until it was facing to the right. The alien reached the front of the tank, and kicked it with its powerful leg.

Lexine, still holding onto the tank's barrel, used it to flip around, and went flying above the alien. Her suit removed the pins from the grenades, and threw them at the alien's orange eyes. As they detonated, Lexine landed on the ground, and somersaulted to redirect the downward motion.

The alien screeched, obviously getting angry. Lexine stood to her feet again, and noticed that the alien's head was slightly blackened. Its eyes were cracked and dark, but only rolled backwards into its head to reveal clean, orange eyes.

_What am I fighting here…?_

The alien started running at Lexine again. She darted away from it, while the suit scanned the area for anything else it could use.

Unfortunately, the alien was slightly faster than Lexine. It grabbed her by the feet, and threw her into the ground. The suit was unable to react in time, and she landed face first.

-Structural damage detected- The suit bleeped, although Lexine hardly heard it. More bones had broken from strain, and she could taste blood in her mouth.

Before the suit could even get up, the monster picked her up again, and smashed her body into the ground behind it.

More broken bones. More blood.

Lexine, under her own power, rolled to the side of the alien's foot, just before it came down on top of her. The suit then came 'back to life', and jumped away from the alien.

But it simply wasn't fast enough. The alien grabbed Lexine again, and hurled her against the side of the facility. She smacked into the stone, and fell to the ground. The suit didn't even try to catch herself this time.

Her entire body was burning in pain. Multiple ribs had broken, and one had punctured her left lung. She forced herself to sit up, and inched backwards against the rock.

The alien saw her, and slowly started to move in for the kill.

Blood ran freely from Lexine's mouth and nose. She struggled to breathe, and the suit was not responding.

"Please…HEV…don't fail me now," she struggled to say.

The huge alien approached her, and then stopped a few feet away. Lexine looked up at it through her cracked helmet, and saw it make a slight bow.

Then, the alien raised its arm. Its 'hand' extended into a large razor blade, ready to be brought down.

Just as all hope seemed lost, the blast door through which the group had exited through opened. This caught the alien's attention, giving her another few precious seconds.

Then, a large yellow robot, covered by blood and corpses, burst out of the facility. Running at full speed, it collided with the alien, knocking it off its feet.

-You are obstructing a safe and healthy work environment- GLaDOS spoke loudly enough for the alien, and Lexine to hear. -You will be terminated-

The robot stood at the same height as the alien, and quickly stomped over to it on four legs. Just as the alien started to get back to its feet, the robot clamped onto it with its two, powerful straight arms. It whipped the alien around on a spinning mount, and threw it against the rock, a safe distance away from Lexine.

-Primary system reboot- The suit spoke in a slightly garbled voice.

The alien stood again, and charged at the robot. Alas, it was none too nimble, and couldn't dodge the creature at all. The two collided, and the alien smashed the driver's compartment. The robot stopped moving.

Lexine was too weak to smile, but tried to anyways as she saw the alien turn away from the robot. GLaDOS was still controlling it, and came up from behind the alien. It knocked it off its feet again, and grabbed onto its head. The robot spun the alien around, and finally let it sail into an external storage shack. Bits of wood and metal tools went flying in all directions.

The suit raised Lexine's arms to block the wreckage. It then stood, administered many drugs into Lexine's system, and began repairing both itself, and the fragile woman.

The robot charged at the alien again, and started smacking it with its arms, preventing it from getting to its feet.

The alien stumbled around, slipping on the wreckage as the yellow robot continued its attack.

Lexine, barely clinging to consciousness, looked around for a weapon. The suit located a shining, blue crowbar, lying amongst the shattered wood. She picked it up, the suit making it seem weightless.

The alien thrashed around, but finally managed to land a blow on the robot. It kicked the center, sending it flying in the other direction. The robot managed to get a grip on the ground again, as the alien approached.

Lexine sprinted into the action again, holding her weapon. The alien swung its razor sharp arm at the robot, slicing off one if its arms. It pushed forward, knocking the alien back. Then, the alien grabbed hold of the sides of the robot. It then hurled it high into the sky, and it fell to a location beyond the parking lot.

Sensing it as the greater threat, the alien ran after the robot. Knowing that GLaDOS could not hold it off forever, the suit sprinted towards the alien.

Lexine was bleeding inside her suit and her body. The HEV was desperately trying to help her, but each breath she took was hard, and sent searing pain throughout her torso.

The suit jumped over a fence, and across some sandy rock. Dr. Stapleton was barely alive, still suffering from her injuries.

Far ahead, the robot landed with a thud. By luck, it was near an underground missile silo. The super computer opened the silo doors, and moved the damaged robot over to it. The alien approached it, now _really_ pissed.

Lexine caught up to the battling two entities, and saw the alien charge into the robot. The robot tried to move to the side, but couldn't dodge the alien. Instead, it took full advantage of its inertia, and pushed itself and the massive creature into the silo. The robot was crushed as the alien fell down with it, and the large doors closed on top.

-I'd move away from the silo if I was you- GLaDOS spoke via external speakers.

Lexine, or rather her suit, took the advice, and stopped advancing. The ground rumbled beneath her feet as the missile launched, and detonated _inside_ the silo. A thunderous explosion tore concrete and metal up out of the ground, obliterating the silo in the process.

The suit backed up, noticing the large explosion. Black smoke filled the air as chunks of concrete rained down.

_That's the end of that._

Then, against all odds, Lexine saw something moving inside the smoke. At first, her eyes refused to accept it, but then she and the suit saw the beast, still alive, running towards her.

Its entire body, once an elegant green, was blackened. The eyes were cracked slightly, and some portions of its flesh had been destroyed, reveling a complex interior of biomechanics.

The alien charged at Lexine, still capable of killing. The suit simply stood there, not even trying to run. "Suit?" she whimpered, praying that it was online.

-I am here-

"Aren't we going to…ugh…run?"

-I have a plan. This one will work-

Just as the alien was about to reach her, the suit made a dash to the left and forward towards the alien. It hoisted the crowbar into the air, tearing into the alien's flesh in its leg.

Amazingly, the internal, 'soft' flesh was still very tough. However, the crowbar managed to tear up a small section, making the alien fall over, howling in pain.

Lexine approached it again, and it swung an arm at her. She leapt out of the way, but the other leg got her in the side, sending her flying across the desert a few yards.

The suit had been damaged, and was barely capable of absorbing enough of the blow to make it non-lethal. Lexine's vision started getting blurry, as pain and the taste of blood overwhelmed her.

The suit pressed the attack. It ran towards the alien, crippled on the ground, and dodged more attacks. It then swung the crowbar down upon its eye with all of its strength. The orange material shattered.

_Take that!_

The suit then drove the back end of the crowbar down into the alien's 'brain'. Of course, this was not it, but it did make the alien screech a loud, high pitched sound in agony. Its arms and legs couldn't find the strength to fight back, so it lie there, hardly moving.

The suit started whacking the crowbar upon its head at an impossible speed. Lexine, still albeit barely alive, moved her own muscles with the suit. Each blow damaged the structure of the alien's head a little bit, slowly destroying it.

After about thirty seconds, the alien's head formed a large crack. The suit continued smashing it with the crowbar at a rate of about two thwacks a second.

Finally, after the prolonged battle, the monstrosity's head caved inwards. Juices squirted from the cracks as the tough skin began to mix with the innards, forming a mush. As the last bit of life was brutally taken from the powerful alien, the suit stopped swinging. Lexine didn't.

"AHHH!" she shouted, still swinging the crowbar into the fallen creature's head. Juices and bits from internal organs splattered onto her suit, until it finally stopped her arm's motion.

She dropped the crowbar, and took a step back. She heard parts of her suit buzz and whirr, slowly readjusting and repairing the internal armor. More drugs were administered into her body, keeping her alive. Most of her ribcage was broken, and the suit set to work on that immediately. Her left leg had a shattered femur, her hip was fractured, her nose had broken from banging against the suit's glass helmet, and bleeding was present almost everywhere.

_I'm a mess_, she thought, holding the sides of her body. _I should be dead…._

"Am…am I going to be alright?" Lexine croaked out, it being very difficult to breathe.

-Yes, if we find you a doctor soon enough. Your left lung is punctured; that is my primary conscern. I have administered lots of drugs into your system; they're all that's keeping you alive, to be frank. Our first objective is to meet up with the rest of the group, and at the same time find a doctor. Without my protection, they are as good as dead-

"Yeah…" Lexine looked around. The dead alien reminded her of how close she came to being in its position right now. It had taken down tanks, helicopters, jets, many soldiers firing at it; it even survived being trapped in close proximity to a missile detonation. But Lexine, with the help of two AI's, had killed it.

The suit's helmet was cracked in many locations, but a shaky green triangular display appeared on it; the location of the helicopter.

"We don't have a vehicle. How—"

The suit cut her off. -Don't try to talk. But we can catch up to the helicopter. I _am_ a vehicle. Shall we?-

Lexine nodded, and then felt a searing pain in the back of her neck. The suit immediately neutralized it.

-Sorry, but your collar bone is broken, and your spine is fragmented in a few locations. I am accelerating the healing as best I can; it should be stable enough to support itself by tomorrow-

Then, the suit took off, running across the desert in the direction of the helicopter. A foam was ejected around Dr. Stapleton's head, and hardened slightly. She rested against it, and closed her eyes.

As day turned to night, the suit continued running, leaving a thin trail of dust behind it. Lexine slowly drifted off into a deep, needed sleep.

The suit then saw the helicopter, in visual range. It was passing through a chasm between huge rock structures, with a murky stream running deep, down below.

The suit ran across the top, calculating the helicopter's trajectory. It then leapt off the cliff, and landed in the helicopter.

"WHOA!" Faustine shouted, awaking the scientists. Houghton was still awake, and feeling the thud, turned around. He exhaled in relief, and looked forward again.

"Oh, it's you," Dr. Thomson said. "Told you the suit could handle it."

Dr. Meijer worriedly looked at Lexine's bloodied face.

-Lexine has many broken bones, internal bleeding, and a punctured lung. She is asleep now, and I have been injecting a variety of drugs into her system. For her sake, I put her out for the time being-

"You took on that huge alien all by yourself?" Faustine asked in awe.

-GLaDOS helped, and Lexine managed to stay alive even when I lost power. We did it together-

The group nodded, and then returned to their previous activity; trying to fall asleep. Puggy was held tight in Faustine's arms, purring slightly. The two scientists had their heads leaned back, dreaming about multi-billion dollar programs. Even Sergeant Houghton traded placed with Lexine to rest, as the suit took control of the helicopter.

The five humans, suit, and Puggy drifted off to sleep, (the suit running only flight programs to allow maximum 'concentration' on repair.)

They had finally escaped Black Mesa.

And found their way into the fire.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Streams of atoms were spat out of an electromagnetic hose. They then arranged themselves into many molecules. Those molecules were positioned, and bound into complex, nearly indestructible patterns. Slowly, the creature's endoskeleton came into shape.

More atoms followed, creating living, organic components. They formed muscles, liquid storages, bio-circuitry, and countless other apparatuses for living and killing.

Once this was complete, pre-assembled non-organic parts were placed throughout the body. Nutrient chips were placed in blood streams, a tactical overlay device was implanted in the hardening eyes, and finally, a series of numbers on a microscopic filament, representing the model, batch, and copy.

The rock-solid exoskeleton was then applied via hoses 'spraying' the matter onto the creature. The thick green skin accumulated, to be used as protection, and as a sunlight collector for additional energy. A few inches was all that it took; shifting plates allowed for flexibility and a near impenetrable defense.

Its hands were constructed, and placed inside their forming arms. Finally, after no more than five minutes, the fifteen foot Luumaothican Warrior emerged from the construction pod, and joined its hundreds of newly created brothers.

Kurtiss rolled over onto his stomach, irritated from the brightness of the overhanging sun. He was in no hurry to get up, however. He savored the tranquility for the first time in his recent memory.

Despite the looming danger overhead, the sick girl, and dwindling supplies, the semi-responsible construction worker didn't bother to wake anyone else up, and tried to fall back asleep himself.

To his dismay, a few moments later, he was jostled by his friend. "Kurt, you up? We need to get moving."

He mumbled and turned his back up at Josh. The English teacher sighed. "Kids oversleeping is something I'll never figure out." And then more loudly, "C'mon, wake up! We have to keep moving, are you completely oblivious to our current situation!"

The big words hurt his head. "I'm up, I'm up. Are the others awake?"

He opened one eye, while rubbing the other. Wilbert and Jian stood admiring the object in the sky, one for its beauty, and one from a scientific standpoint. Althea stood, holding the sleeping child in her arm.

"Yeah, I let you sleep in awhile," Josh said, standing up along with Kurtiss. Yawning and stretching, he fully brought himself into the world of the awake.

"Wow, that spaceship looks so much different in the light," Wilbert spoke, not talking to anyone in particular.

"Made of many small tentacles," Jian added, too admiring the sight.

"What's that?" Kurtiss turned his attention over to the two, and then up at the sky. Upon close examination in the light, the massive alien ship was actually far more complex than a simple tube. Small tentacles, some no bigger than a human, while others the size of a truck, formed interlocking patterns of its outer hull. They housed weapons, hangars, shield emitters, and countless other modules, indistinguishable by the human eye.

Josh briefly glanced at it too, but then turned his attention back to the group. "Alright, we're up. Let's just keep moving in one direction."

Heads nodded in approval, and once again, the group set off.

The Luumaothican Warrior looked down at the man in the suit, just recently having put on a translator fluid. He was not happy.

"Can you explain to me why you let a HUMAN," he spat, "destroy your being and escape the facility?"

Instead of answering the embarrassing truth that he was defeated, he asked a question of his own. "Can you explain to me why you gave me plasma cannons that practically self-destructed?"

The man smiled, and then shook his head. "Do you have any idea how boring it would be to sit in orbit and blast the planet with plasma until it was a smoldering rock, and then scoop up the matter?"

Before the alien could respond, he answered his own question. "It would be very boring, and somewhat pointless. We want a fair game, here. And without your arm cannons, the humans will live long enough to see our might. But that doesn't mean you should let one DESTROY YOU!"

"I was facing a human, agreed, but she was—"

"SHE!"

Pausing for a moment, it continued, "But she was in a powerful exoskeleton suit. I was about to rescue her form the agony, when I was attached by a large machine, about my size. The blows to the head damaged my interface network, eventually destroying it."

The man in the suit glared at the alien, not accepting any excuse. "I apologize, my lord," it added.

"Nothing is out of balance; it's fine." He calmed down, and straightened his tie. "The human will have a less heroic end, but an end she will have indeed."

Guessing at what he was suggesting, the alien argued, "I thought you wanted an even playing field!"

He smiled that evil, slick smile again. "I do, I do. But apparently they have gained one too many 'power pieces', and I want to make sure they do not start taking out ours. You failed to destroy her, so now we will."

The alien thought for a moment, and then turned to leave. "Your arm cannons had a weak molecular structure," the man explained from behind. "The humans need to win some; just a little."

"But why?" The alien spun around, determined to get an answer from the man.

The answer was, "The humans need to slowly realize we can't be beaten. We need to work out the very strongest and smartest to analyze their strategies, in order to further refine our own. They need to go accepting, understanding, and," he paused, "forgiving."

The alien opened its mouth to protest, but the man cut him off. "And besides; this is fun."

Lexine slowly awoke into a world of surreal wonder. The sun peaked out from behind the huge alien ship, illuminating the clear forest below. The sky was blue and clear, and everything was silent.

She was still running, this time across leaves and dirt. The suit had retracted its helmet, allowing a cool breeze to wash across her blood-caked face.

She tried to speak, but only managed to get out a slight hum. She took a deep breath, and collected her thoughts. "S-suit, you c-can stop n-now."

-Acknowledged-

Lexine, hearing the stutter in her voice, tried to slow down, but her thoughts seemed scrambled to a certain degree. Taking her time with each word, she began again. "Did-d we meet up w-with doc—"

The suit answered her question immediately upon hearing enough of it. -Yes. The helicopter had to be landed before reaching the base, and we are acting as a forward scout-

She sighed, and then nodded. "Let's see them," she slowly said, concerned with her own psychological status. The suit turned around, and started moving in the opposite direction. Rising from the forest, Lexine saw a wide trail of smoke.

Multiple alarms filled the already noisy helicopter with sound as the pilot did all it could to prevent it from plummeting down to the woodland area below. Puggy squirmed in Faustine's arms, Sergeant Houghton climbed into the cockpit

"We have to land this thing, NOW!" he shouted. Lexine was still fast asleep.

-The surrounding area is evenly treacherous to land. Location preference?-

"Somewhere! Anywhere! As long as we live."

The two scientists in the back grabbed onto the convenient hand bars, and Faustine locked her legs around the seat. Externally, bits of plasma melted away at the hull, emitting trails of black smoke.

"Brace for impact!" the soldier advised, seeing the incoming trees. The rotors smashed into the upper canopy, hacking away at the smaller branches, but fatally colliding with the larger. The occupants were violently jostled as the body crashed into the ground. The suit had done an excellent job at creating the most graceful decent, so the helicopter stopped at the base of a wide trunk.

The helicopter was now mostly silent, with the exception of a flickering fire. The five occupants quickly got out via the open side, and moved away from the helicopter. The HEV stayed behind, and turned towards the fire.

A small hose protruded from each arm, and began to spray a fire-neutralizing compound at the flames. Just then, the fuel lines ignited, consuming both the helicopter and Lexine in a fireball. A few moments later, she walked out of it, unharmed.

"Ha ha!" Dr. Thomson laughed and clapped his hands. "That suit is invincible!"

Faustine slowly set the now calmed Puggy on the ground. She gave it a look, and it stayed put. "Well," she turned to the sergeant, "is that base too far away from here?"

He thought for a moment. "Yeah, we should be able to reach it by tonight. But down here at ground level, I can imagine it will be far from safe."

Dr. Thomson spoke up. "Let's send the HEV ahead as the scout."

"Good idea," Dr. Meijer agreed. "But shouldn't we take her out of the suit first?"

"No," Dr. Thomson said, "she's hurt pretty bad, and the suit is healing her. Also, the suit requires a user to function and be effective."

"Be effective?" Faustine asked.

"Yeah, a soft body inside makes the otherwise hollow suit much more durable," he replied.

The suit, not needing to hear any more, turned around, and moved out.

Daylight streamed down through the canopy, creating a false sense of peace. For example, just recently the group had spotted a military helicopter, and moments later, it was shot down. Then, after no more than a minute had passed, the forest returned to its tranquil state.

"Think we should head that way?" Kurtiss asked, observing the event.

"I don't know," Josh mumbled. "I think that the aliens are targeting military units over civilians. We should probably stick to the forest."

Wilbert suddenly stopped in his tracks. Josh nearly ran into him. "What is that?"

The group looked in the direction he was pointing in. A female wearing a strange orange suit strode through the forest a good distance away. "I don't—"

"That's an HEV! What the devil is one doing here?"

"Whoa whoa whoa slow down!" Josh stepped in front of him.

"We had them at Black Mesa," he explained, "that must mean that person escaped...let's follow her."

The group cautiously approached, careful to keep their distance. Wilbert took the lead, followed closely by a mesmerized Kurtiss.

Never before had he seen a more beautiful creature.

Dr. Meijer saw Lexine a good distance away, approaching the party. He immediately picked up his pace to meet up with her. "Is something wrong?"

"I d-don't feel r-right," she shakily said.

"You don't sound good. Suit; do a quick check up on Lexine." The suit did not respond. He falsely assumed it had already initiated it."

"Oh, boy..." he heard Dr. Thomson say from behind. He turned around, and then looked forward at who he had seen.

An angry looking man in a white shirt was storming towards them the two scientists exchanged confused looks, just before he began his rant.

"You IDIOTS!" and with that, he slugged Dr. Meijer across the face with all of his anger and strength.

"Whoa! Settle down!" Faustine tried to mediate the peace. Sergeant Houghton looked around, confused. The usually protective suit did nothing.

"I told you this would happen! I told you, you didn't listen, and now millions of people are DEAD."

The rest of Wilbert's group finally caught up, including a Chinese man with a sword, and a pediatrician holding a small child.

"You pushed that crystal into the beam!" Dr. Fredrick turned his attention to Lexine, with his fist raised. He was about to punch her too, but her already bloodied face and horrified expression, (and the fact that she was in an HEV,) made him put his fist down.

"Alright, alright, everyone just settle down." Josh came up from behind, and put a hand on Wilbert's shoulder.

"Okay," Dr. Meijer got up, rubbing his now sore but not bleeding nose, and confronted him. "We made a mistake, are sorry, and are well aware of the consequences. But if you had been in our shoes, you would have done the same thing! If everyone but me was thinking the chamber would create a dimensional rift, and I tried to turn it on, you would wipe my mind just the same!"

"No, it was that man in that suit; the guy who supplied the crystal I think," Wilbert thought out loud. "Wait a minute! How did he get access to that room? How did he get access to anywhere in Black Mesa!"

Dr. Thomson opened his mouth, but no answer came out. He closed it, and shrugged. "I really don't know. I guess we just let him because he supplied the crystal."

Wilbert moaned, and leaned his back against a tree. "You people call yourself scientists when you're all just mice in a maze."

"I think we are getting off on the wrong foot here," Kurtiss said, approaching Lexine. "My name is Kurtiss Votow."

She returned a confused, worried expression. "And, ah, this is my buddy, Josh."

"And I am the amazing Wilbert Fredrick! The man who could have prevented it all!"

"Alright," Josh said, glancing in his direction, "it was Wilbert's idea to meet up with you. Where are you heading?"

"Well, we were heading towards a military base until...what is that?"

"Oh this?" Kurtiss proudly held up the alien weapon he was carrying. "We found it on one of those creatures we killed."

"Wait wait wait...you killed one of those creatures?" Faustine asked in awe.

Kurtiss beamed, in the direction of Lexine. "Two of them."

Dr. Meijer was astounded. "Dr. Stapleton in her suit barely killed one! Are you sure we are each talking about the fifteen foot tall monstrosities?"

Kurtiss sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Not exactly," Josh answered.

"The aliens we kill were hardly taller than us," Jian finally said. The soldier let out a breath, and then chuckled.

"Well, you did get one of their weapons, I'll give you credit for that."

"Don't know how to fire it though," Kurtiss glumly reported. "Their firing mechanism probably is nothing special, but I'm not going to be the first one to stick my hand in there."

Then, Josh noticed the creature by Faustine's leg. He put a hand on his gun. "What is that thing?"

"This," Faustine said, picking up her pet, "is Puggy. He's very friendly and has only helped us so far."

Sergeant Houghton grumbled something under his breath about an incident the other day.

"Um, I guess then we can take it along. You have any complaints Wilbert?"

Wilbert glared at him. Josh rolled his eyes. "About the…eh…Puggy?"

He shook his head, and smiled at the creature. There was still an evil glare in his eye, making it cower behind Faustine's leg in fear.

"But that is interesting," Dr. Meijer said, scratching his chin. "Some creatures are very large, others are small. Do you think they breed themselves to perform specialized tasks?"

"Or use other creature," Jian said. "Aliens put crab creatures all over city. Take control of mind."

"What?" Dr. Meijer responded, dumbfounded. "That's impossible! New York is far enough away from Black Mesa that dimensional rifts wouldn't be large enough to spew out a single creature!"

"I saw them too," Althea backed Jian up. "I think the bangs we heard could have been the creatures being launched or something."

Dr. Meijer slowly nodded his head, thinking. "Well that must mean the aliens, that is the ones with the ships, had been using dimensional rifts or actually going into Xen to retrieve the creatures. Yeah, they planned coming here. This was no accident."

Lexine did not say anything, and merely glanced from face to face. Then, all of a sudden, she felt parts moving around in her suit. "G-guys? S-something is w-wrong."

Dr. Thomson turned his attention to Lexine, or rather, her suit. "Initiate self diagnostic."

For a moment, it said nothing. Then, -User termination initiated-

"WHOA! Abort function!"

-Function aborted. Function reinitiated-

"Get that suit off her, NOW!" Dr. Meijer shouted.

"No, no," Dr. Thomson said, not wanting to dismantle his masterpiece. "Suit, power down, now!"

"If we don't get it off her," Dr. Meijer pulled him over, "it will kill her! Don't tell me your more attached to the suit than who's inside!"

"What's g-going on?"

"We're taking your suit off before it kills you," Dr. Thomson answered, taking one last look at his completed orange suit.

"Come on! Help us out!" Dr. Meijer shouted over his shoulder.

They managed to get the arm pieces off quickly. Thankfully, the needles were positioned in such a way, that emergency suit removals would not damage the user too much, however they still left bloody streaks down her arms.

-External source detected-

The guard and soldier joined in, and Kurtiss also tried to help. The boot and leg pieces slid off, leaving only the chest. The scientists pressed in more places up and down the suit's body, disengaging locks, and then began to pull on either side.

The rest of the group, excluding Dr. Sarris, joined in, pulling with all their might. Lexine screamed in pain as needles were torn from her skin. She was finally freed from the suit, and fell to the ground, frantically crawling away. Her hair a mess, her exposed skin glistening, she trembled in a curled up ball at the base of a tree.

Suddenly, the two halves of the suit's middle spat various acids and chemicals up in the air through the needles. They fell back down and hissed as they began to dissolve the gray interior of the suit. Lexine whimpered, and turned away from her narrowly avoided doom.

The group looked around at each other, and then back at the sobbing woman. Dr. Meijer took off his lab coat, and draped it over her shoulders, as she was wearing nothing but her undergarments. He rubbed her left shoulder, and helped her up. "You're okay; don't worry, the suit is gone."

_I should have worn my jacket today_, Kurtiss thought.

"I don't mean to rush anyone," Dr. Sarris said from behind, "but I have a sick little girl here. The faster we reach that military base, the better."

"What's wrong with her?" Dr. Thomson asked.

The pediatrician shrugged. "I think it's just a cold, but it's mutated, or something. We need to find a doctor."

"A better doctor?" he asked.

"A more qualified one."

"Anyhow," the soldier stepped in, "I'm just as anxious to reach them as you are. Let's move."

The group exchanged nods of approval, and then the ten of them set forth. "So what kind of base is this?" Kurtiss asked, itching to see it.

"Military, obviously," Sergeant Houghton answered. "It's pretty obscure, off in a woodland area, and it's mostly underground. It was built to be able to launch long range missiles, but from my experience, missiles and explosives don't do a whole lot versus these ships."

"Really? Well, we've already figured out that their own weaponry penetrates through their energy shields," Kurtiss tried to sound official and scientific.

"Plasma based weaponry verses plasma based shields," Dr. Meijer muttered. "That makes sense."

_You lost me_, the construction worker thought.

"If we can find another vehicle," Faustine suggested, "we could get there a lot faster. I really don't feel comfortable with THAT over my head."

"Bad idea," Josh answered. "So far I've been in a truck; it was destroyed. We found a jeep, and it was destroyed too. Your helicopter was destroyed too, but now they aren't firing at us."

"So they don't want us to have a vehicle," Sergeant Houghton said. "Great."

"This is just weird," Kurtiss stated. "It's like they're keeping us alive. At any moment they could kill us, but they're not."

"I kind of like that," Josh said, smiling. "I'd rather be kept alive than being constantly hunted."

"Makes me shiver," the security guard retorted. "It's like we're all pieces in a sick game, only we've already lost and the opponent wants to keep the game going."

"We haven't lost," the soldier argued. "Sure they're keeping us alive. Sure they could wipe us out at any moment. That's their mistake."

"So we haven't lost yet," Josh answered, "but that's a long way from being able to win. Wilbert! You're so smart, think of a game plan on how to destroy these aliens."

He snorted. "That was not push the crystal into the beam."

"I didn't say prevent, I said destroy."

This made him laugh, and look up at the sky. "You people are too optimistic," and then, after receiving threatening glares, he added, "but I guess I'll try to think of something."

"Good."

The group of ten continued their trek through the forest. Lexine kept her arms close to her body, shivering from cold and fear. Her body ached as the pain medication began to wear off, but fortunately her suit had accelerated her healing, so her bones supported her weight. Her mind was still a mess, however. Her thoughts were scrambled, and it was difficult for her to focus on any one thing. Her heart rate was still accelerated, and her one functioning lung breathed rapidly.

She looked down, and saw her necklace. It was shiny, and beautiful, bringing her joy.

_Everything is going to be okay…_

As a fast zombie tore the flesh out of the last living, screaming man, the underside of the Luumaothican command ship lit up, illuminating the entire city with a light brighter than the sun itself. Every zombie calmly walked into the street, and lined up in neat rows. Then, multiple cleanup ships phased into the city, hovering just above the streets. Their surfaces shot out purple energy streams, ripping matter apart, and streaming it into their cargo bays. The creatures themselves disengaged from their hosts, and were brought up via phase drives back to the command ship to be repackaged. The cargo bays of the cleanup ships quickly collected and split the city's matter, and stored it for future use.

THIRTY MILLION YEARS AGO

An endless stream of evacuation ships sped away from the Luumaothican home world, activating their phase drives. Suddenly, the high counsel of leaders who were on one of the ships, picked up a remote signal originating from somewhere around their star. Their scanner picked up an alien fleet of biblical proportions, flying in fatally close proximity to its fiery surface.

They observed with shock and horror as their star, growing more and more unstable, finally exploded in a magnificent supernova, completely destroying the mystery fleet. The destructive force spanned outward, and obliterated their world and the millions of still planet-side Luumaothicans, along with the beautiful cities that covered the surface. The last remaining evacuation ships quickly flew away from the destruction as the rest of their solar system was consumed.

The mystery fleet was never seen or heard from again. It was the only time that the Luumaothican Empire had seen a force more powerful than their own.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

"Get up."

Sanchali moaned, and rubbed her sleepy eyes.

"Get up!" the commanding voice returned. Sanchali opened her eyes, and sat up. A man in a suit stood by her bunk.

"Ugh," she groggily mumbled, "what time is it?"

"That's irrelevant, woman. Your presence is expected among the other combat oriented civilians."

She stood. Her height thwarted that of the man's. "Combat? You must be mistaken. I-"

"We do not make mistakes!" he angrily shouted, but with a hint of fear in his voice. More gently, he said, "My orders are to bring you to the conference room. I suggest you follow them."

Sanchali nodded, and then started to follow him out of the room. She looked around, and saw most of the room's occupants sleeping in their bunks. However, once in the hallway, she was once more amidst a crowd of people.

_This place never sleeps._

Sanchali was following the man who had rudely awakened her, when she passed by an office with the door cracked open. A man inside was almost screaming into a phone. "DEAD! What do you mean dead? Just like that, killed in action? I don't want an apology; I want to know how two of our most valuable military assets were destroyed!"

She felt a tug on her arm, and continued following the man. Behind her, the person on the phone continued shouting unmentionables.

Scott sat of the edge of his bunk, and stared longingly at the silver flask he held. His entire body yearned for the liquid within. He glanced at the clock above the door, reminding himself how early it was.

_Don't do this Scott. But I need it! No. Miss Palkia said she'd help you through this, don't let her down already. Just one drink, that's it. Okay._

And with that, he unscrewed the cap, and took a swig of the liquor. "That's good," he muttered, just before taking another. Almost immediately, he felt the pleasing buzz in his head, and all of his worries vanished. He brought the bottle back up to his lips, and finished it off completely. He grunted, and threw the empty canister on the ground.

"Settle down there, buddy," someone advised. He looked up, and saw what he thought was a man wearing a suit, but he couldn't be sure.

"Whaddya want?"

"Uh, I was ordered to bring you to the conference room, and I think they want you sober."

He didn't say or do anything for a few moments. Then he nodded, and wobbly stood to follow the man out of the room.

Sanchali shifted her weight in the uncomfortable metal chair, looking around the conference room. The large, circular wooden table was vacant, except for the woman herself. A glass of water sat in front of each nametag, filled to the same level.

The room was still underground, or at least had no windows. Sanchali glanced up at a digital clock that she did not have in her room, and groaned when she saw the time; three thirty. She wasn't even hungry yet, which was different for her.

Upon hearing the opening of a door, she sat up and straightened her clothes. A group of civilians, led by another employee. This group included a police officer, a few muscular men wearing tight shirts, and finally, Mr. Votow. Once again, he looked drunk.

The group took their respective seats by their nametags. As soon as he sat down, Scott took a sip of his water. Then, he peered into the glass, confused, and then finished off the glass with a single, second gulp.

After everyone was settled, an officer in military clothing strode into the room. He came to the far end of the table, and sat down. "As you are all aware, our planet is currently being attacked by a powerful alien force. Instead of fighting a lost cause, we have allied with them. All other forces attacking them are now our enemy, including the United States military forces."

"Uh, mister army man," a body builder asked, "wouldn't that include you?"

He smiled, as if he wanted to be asked this question, and answered, "Actually, I am a part of a separate division of the military. We function pretty much on our own."

"So why do you need us?" the police man asked.

"Man power. Our elite soldiers are very powerful, but recent news of two of our best being killed means we need to train new soldiers, and that's where you come in."

"Excuse me," Sanchali raised her hand, politely saying, "I am just a basket ball player. The cop over there is much more suited-"

"Do not question us," the soldier snapped.

"Well I agree with Miss Palkia there," the police officer supported. "I've seen her on TV, and don't get me wrong, she's a great basketball player, it's just that I can't see her holding a gun."

"We need all the people we have," the army officer politely replied. "If you've had previous combat training, are physically strong, or are just naturally attract-er, aggressive, we need you."

"Is this every one?" Scott shouted.

"No, this is just every one we found approximately twelve hours ago, on this wing of the building. We let them get sleep and at least two meals until debriefing."

Sanchali glanced around the room, looking for a second confused face.

"Anyhow, we would normally give you literally a lifetime of training, but since that isn't an option, we will give you better tools of the trade. Come on in!"

The door opened, and two scientists walked in. One held a strange chrome weapon, while the other carried a box that emitted a silvery glow.

"This, my friends, is a plasma rifle, generously provided by our benefactors," he winked at the word 'benefactors'. Next, he picked up the weapon. It had a trigger, and a grip for use by humans. "This powerful weapon fires plasma slugs at extremely high speeds. What it can't smash through, it burns through."

The soldier reached his hand into the box, and pulled out a small, cylinder shaped object about the same size as a kiwi. Its ends were made of a black metal, but the body was clear, showing a glowing silver substance inside. "This small capsule contains about a watermelon's worth of plasma. In case you weren't paying attention in science class, plasma is the fourth and usually hottest state of matter. For an example, it's what the sun in made out of."

Murmurs filled the room, and then a body builder raised a finger. "What's that colored bar on the side?"

The soldier turned the weapon on its side. "This is sort of a slider to determine how much ammo you use with each shot. The green side makes each shot about the size of a grape, while the red side fires about half the initial ammunition."

"What are you, an alien weaponry expert now?"

He answered, "The Luumaothican Empire has given us a great deal of resources and knowledge. We will eliminate every other military force on the planet, and destroy the aliens when they have their pants down."

"If we don't stand a chance with the entire world united against them, how can we alone beat them later on?" a man asked.

"With their own technology. Now keep in mind we are 'allied' to them only for the time being." Then, the officer pressed a small button by the trigger. A tube rotated ninety degrees in the upper section of the gun, allowing you to see through it. He slid the plasma capsule into the tube, and it clicked into place. He then pushed the tube foreword again, and a holographic number appeared on the back; 100%.

"Now, to test this thing out. Palkia! Stand up!"

She did as he was asked, but slowly. Upon seeing the officer point the weapon at her, the police man jumped out of his seat. "What the heck are you doing? She's not a target!"

"Just as good as one," he mumbled loudly enough for everyone to hear, lowering the weapon. "Now, here's our battle plan. We will defend this outpost when under attack, obviously, and focus on eliminating hostile bases nearby. From the moment of their arrival, our top researchers have been analyzing a possible fatal flaw in the Luumaothican Empire's strategy or fleet. Once all human opposition has been eliminated, we will exploit said flaw, and either drive away or destroy the alien species."

"So then," someone asked, "we will be left with a destroyed planet with barely enough people left to repopulate?"

"When I say human opposition, I speak of actual opposition. Any civilians we haven't picked up yet will be taken in. If they aren't fertile or good at anything, we will trade in their biomass for a new gun."

"Why do we have to be killing 'human opposition'?" the cop asked. "Why not just skip to the fatal weakness so we will have more survivors?"

"Are you kidding me?" the officer retorted genuinely. "With millions of years of alien technology just up for grab, the world will become chaotic! We will break down into nomad groups, slaughtering each other with and for the technology. It will all go to waste, and some weapons could be powerful enough to cause destruction on a global level. No, as a part of the United States Army, I believe it is my duty to protect us from ourselves. Aright, everyone follow me to the firing range. I'll show you what I mean."

The officer and two scientists were the first to leave, followed by the cop and muscular men. Sanchali was of the last to leave, followed closely by Scott.

As they walked through the hallways, the alcoholic muttered incomprehensible things to himself. At first, she was hesitant to say anything, but finally blurted out, "Didn't you tell me you would try to stop drinking?"

"You don't tell me what to do!"

She sighed, giving up therapy until he was sober. Eventually, the group entered what looked like a firing range. "At the end of each firing lane is an object you might be firing at. The weapon assists you in aiming-don't ask me how-so we won't be practicing targeting, but rather how the plasma acts with various targets. While inside the capsule, the plasma will not hurt you, but once fired, it incinerates anything near it."

Another scientist stood by a collection of weapons, handing them out to the civilians. Sanchali was last, receiving only a plasma pistol, and immediately after, the scientists left. By each firing stall was a small pile of ammunition. She loaded a capsule, and looked forward at her target.

A human body hung from meat hooks, wearing a white shirt and black pants. She was too horrified to move. "Don't worry, female," the officer said. "The aliens whipped that one up from a cloning tank. It won't bite you."

She nodded, and then aimed her weapon at the torso. She set the slider to the lowest possible setting, and fired a tiny glop of plasma. It struck the body, tearing it from the suspended limbs. Every part caught fire, with most of the torso incinerating immediately. The flesh burned, looking very real to Sanchali.

Another bolt was fired at a brick wall. It shattered, melting some of the mortar. The shot fired at the wooden wall made the entire thing spontaneously combust.

What looked like metal off the side of a tank acted like metal off the side of a car, and the concrete quickly turned to goop.

"Now this," the officer said, removing a traffic cone from the final stall, "is a piece of alien metal." He took out his pistol, and fired at it. A blue energy field deflected the shot. "Their shielding systems are powerful enough to resist a nuclear blast, and all of their metal has it, down to even the size of a quarter. However, we have learned that their shields are plasma based, and with the analogy that diamond cuts diamond, you can probably guess how we breach 'em. Mr. Votow! Come over here please."

He hobbled over, holding his weapon. Before he was even given the order, he aimed his rifle, set the slider to 'red', and fired a huge bolt of plasma at the alien metal. The shot passed through the shield, and decimated the metal no differently than the others.

The soldier hadn't wanted him to fire such a large shot, however the edge of his lip curled into a slight smile. "You seem tense, Mr. Votow. How about a drink?" He put an arm around his shoulders, and started leading him out of the room.

Sanchali had finally had enough. She put her hand on the officer's shoulder. "He's already drunk! What are you doing to him?"

In response, the man spun around, and punched her squarely on the nose. She was thrown backwards by his brute strength, and landed on the floor. "Do not lay a hand on a superior officer," he spat, leaving the room with Scott in disgust.

The police man put down his weapon, and knelt down next to Sanchali. "I'm not blind. Why is he treating you like a dog, and us, by comparison, like royalty?"

"I don't know," she said, sitting up while gripping her bleeding nose. "This whole place seems sexist or something."

"It's an act," he concluded, helping her up. "They are trying to turn you into a hardened soldier by being cruel."

"But why only me and not the rest of you?"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I just don't know."

Sanchali looked at her hand, but quickly brought it back up to pinch her sore, bleeding nose. "Ow."

"PALKIA!" a voice shouted, loudly from the doorway. She slowly looked in the direction of the officer in the doorway. "I did not give you permission to disengage your target! Now keep practicing or we'll practice on you!"

"My target was destroyed, _sir_," she said, still pinching her nose, making the entire sentence sound sarcastic, instead of just the 'sir'.

"I still see four limbs hanging from the meat hooks, and numerous other targets you can shoot at!"

She took a stand, not knowing where it might lead. "Where's Mr. Votow?"

"Wha- I am asking the questions here!" he snapped back at her.

"Just a minute ago you were taking him 'out for a drink'. Now given that you were well aware he was drunk, and that you returned so quickly, where is he?"

"Go ahead; ask me another question, and I'll break your nose off," he murmured, with a slight quiver in his voice.

The police man stood next to her. The other men were close by. "What do we do next?" she asked, smiling.

He grumbled under his breath. "Keep firing at the targets, and be careful not to shoot through the wall." With that, he turned around and stormed out of the room.

"Uh, I'm glad you made a stand there," the police officer said, "but you only did it because we were here. Once you're alone again, which I can almost guarantee will happen, god knows what he'll do to you."

"I can defend myself," she said, taking a bloodied hand off her clogged nose. "And I don't think they want to hurt me, they just want to scream at me and put my grey slop inside my brown slop."

"Slop?"

"Yeah, at dinner last night."

A few men exchanged glances. "I don't know about you, but I got steak."

She frowned, and then chuckled. "Go figure."

"I'll take him from here," a military officer said, gripping on to Scott's forearm. The other officer nodded, and proceeded back to the firing range.

"You takin' me out to a drink? No, I only had one," Scott mumbled, as the military officer had to ever tighten his clasp.

Scott was eventually led into a small room. He sat on a chair, and looked around the room, dazed. A doctor loaded a syringe with a clear fluid, while a second cleaned his arm. Although he didn't feel any pain, he did ask what was in the injection. The doctors did not respond, and he asked no follow up questions.

"And she just stood there, nose bleeding and all, and asked me what we would do next," the officer reported.

Mr. Burcin rubbed his chin. "Perhaps we need to try a different strategy with her, something that doesn't rely on the lack of civilian support."

"What do you suggest? That I should have punched her again? She's taller than me, played professional basketball, and was surrounded by muscular supporters!"

"Did Mr. Votow get the serum?"

He paused for a moment, and then answered, "Yes, I think so. I handed him over to another officer to take him to medical, where they should have given it to him."

"Good," Mr. Burcing smiled, formulating a plan. "Move him into Sanchali's bunkroom, and make the civilians there well aware that he is her responsibility. If he ever starts calming down, just fix him up again."

The officer nodded, and turned to exit the room. "And one more thing; if Scott ever wants to play golf again, make sure he is fully capable."

Oswald lie flat on a hovering, metal platform with a thin, bluish material over him, keeping him in a state between sleep and death. A green field then washed over him, transmitting results to a nearby consol. A Luumaothican researcher analyzed them.

The male's body had no signs of harm, besides for benign bruises across his arms and knees. The researcher switched the platforms, and scanned the female. Immediately, the scanner picked up damage. Her eyes had been harmed from direct exposure to the portal gun's bolts. Because their bodies couldn't be damaged prior to testing, he began the process to repair her eyes.

First, he moved the platform in between two white devices. Her right eye shook ever so slightly at the atomic level and then rose up and out of her skull. It was then enlarged many times, making it seem translucent. Flawed molecular structures were identified, rearranged, and formed back into working cells. Once finished, the eye was returned to its original size and owner, and then the process was repeated for the left.

With no more obstructing imperfections in the way, the researcher began the tests.

FOUR HUNDRED YEARS BEFORE LUUMAOTHICAN HOME STAR SUPERNOVA

A short, purple alien, vaguely resembling an octopus for its tentacles and soft flesh, scrambled through the collapsing tunnel. Explosions shook the over-mined asteroid as stability equipment failed. Finally reaching the hangar, it joined a group of similar, frantic life forms, moving ore out of a humble cargo ship, so they could use it as a makeshift rescue.

A large explosive occurred as detonators combusted near the center of the asteroid. It split, and many sectors lost their atmosphere. The unfortunate miners in those sectors exploded like water balloons, their many bodily fluids freezing once open out in space. Just as all hope seemed lost, a Luumaothican evacuation ship phased into the hangar, gracefully landing beside the crowd. A ramp extended from an opening door, inviting the miners in. A female Luumaothican, wearing an elegant yellow robe, quickly exited from the doorway, and went to help the aliens on. As the last miner climbed onto the ramp, the female followed closely behind. A male Luumaothican, wearing a similar garment stood at the doorway, hurrying the small aliens inside. Just then, the section of the asteroid with the hangar smashed into another, tearing a hole in the side of the metal wall. The last aliens scampered aboard, followed closely by the female.

Detecting a loss in pressure, the ship's computer automatically began to close the door. The male pressed an emergency lock button, and extended an arm out for the female. She desperately clung to a metal beam on the side of the ship, being sucked in the direction of the engines, and the hole in the hangar wall. She tried to reach for him, but her feminine body simply was not strong enough. She finally slipped from the pole, and flew out into the inhospitable vacuum of space.

The male cursed, and closed the door completely. The aliens inside praised their rescuers, and the equivalent of a 'news ship' was already on the scene, documenting yet another selfless act from the noble Luumaothican empire.

No longer seeing the need to protect it, the ship's captain drove his ship through the hangar wall, back into space. Their shield generators, not designed for combat, groaned under the strain of deflecting the debris, but held out until they were clear of the asteroid field, and could jump away. Four hundred years later, a similar accident happened on another asteroid mining outpost. No Luumaothican ship came to their rescue.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

A squad of six brave soldiers silently moved through the wreckage on the highway leading to the city. Black machines of death still hovered above, and they were well aware that they could unleash a storm of plasma at any moment.

"Why don't I see any buildings?" a private nervously whispered to his comrade.

"I don't know, this is just spooky," he replied.

"Keep your heads on, people. We need to get as many survivors out of the city as possible, whether there are still buildings standing or not."

They continued advancing, until they reached the abrupt end of the highway. It was as if someone took a razor blade and just sliced clean through the world.

"Sweet Jesus…"

Where New York once stood, was now a perfect, rectangular crater in the ground. Aliens swarmed it with machines, mining straight down. The ocean would normally pour into such a hole, but the entire _sea level_ had dropped significantly.

The soldiers stood silent and still, their eyes unwilling to accept of what had become of their great city.

The party was still searching for the military base in the forest. Lexine shivered in Dr. Meijer's thin lab coat, aching to be back in her suit.

"I think we're almost there," Sergeant Houghton mumbled, looking around the forest.

"You've been saying that for hours," Kurtiss moaned. "Do you know where it is or not?"

"It's hidden pretty well out here," he replied. "It was designed to be completely secret from the public, so they placed it out here in the middle of a forest reserve. They hid it pretty well, so if they haven't been destroyed by the aliens, they should have at least a few squads searching for survivors to bring in."

Dr. Sarris still held the small girl. "We need to hurry. People in Rachel's current condition are usually in the ER."

"Do you even know what it looks like?" Wilbert asked, annoyed.

The soldier grew slightly impatient. "I'm doing the best I can. Just look for…solid stone; an entrance or something."

"Remind me again," Josh said, "why the military has a base out in the middle of a forest reserve by the city."

"In case of a, eh, problem, in the city," the soldier answered, "the base could rapidly deploy troops. In the worst case scenario, they could even launch missiles. I doubt they have nukes, if you're wondering, but they probably have the next step down."

"If we're as near as you say we are, then shouldn't we see launches? I mean, they are launching missiles at the aliens, right?" Kurtiss asked.

He shook his head. "I've seen their ships in combat up close. They have some sort of energy shield that can deflect any projectiles."

"Not plasma," Josh corrected, "if that's what their weapons fire."

"Yeah, you're correct," Wilbert agreed. "The only thing I have a hard time grasping is why the aliens would open themselves up to such a weakness. Our weapons are pea shooters compared to theirs, but their shielding systems are designed only to deflect our attacks."

"Maybe that's the only kind of shielding they have," Josh suggested.

"Another possibility," he replied.

"Maybe they did it on purpose, so they could fire out at us through their shields," Faustine said.

Jian nodded. "Works both ways. To attack enemy you make weakness for self."

"I think we found it," Houghton said, quickening his pace. He moved in the direction of the side of a hill, with an absence of trees around it. The group followed, and sure enough, a concrete opening was carved into the side.

A single soldier stood guard in front of a heavy metal blast door. His eyes swept the forest, and occasionally glanced upward at the horrifying black figure.

The sight of the approaching group overjoyed him. He rushed towards them, feeling greatly relieved. "I never thought I'd be this happy to see a group of civvies."

He saw the Sergeant, and saluted him. "I'm Sergeant Houghton. Do you have any room in your base for a few more refugees? I'm sure you're already packed."

"Actually," the Corporal reluctantly began, "we found one or two hikers that just happened to be in the area. We only just recently sent a team out to search the city for survivors; the aliens were hammering us since their arrival. You are more than welcome to stay here."

He then saw Faustine's unique armor. "Wait, are you from the city?"

"No," she answered. "We're from a research facility in Nevada. Sergeant Houghton brought us most of the way by air, but we were shot down."

"Yeah, I saw your crash. Is there anyone else at the facility?"

"No," Dr. Meijer said. "I'm sorry to say it, but the experiments we were doing there caused this. Did you get our radio transmission?"

"That was you guys? Yeah, we got it. We've actually been going over it repeatedly. You were pretty vague; we still have no idea what's going on here."

Dr. Meijer stepped forward to explain. "We were doing experiments on Xen material. It allows us to open an artificial wormhole to another dimension and or time, for either a one or two way trip. Unfortunately, this caused—"

"Sorry, I'm not the one to talk to about this. Our CO, or maybe some of the research staff would be the guys to talk to. I'm just a—WATCH OUT! There's another one behind you!"

He pushed the scientist to the side, arming his assault rifle. He aimed at Puggy, but Faustine quickly stepped in his way, pushing his gun down. "Don't shoot, that alien's friendly. He's on our side."

"No he's not!" he protested, struggling with her. "I saw those blasted things attack us! The only friendly aliens are the two legged green things that spit acid. They have helped us; not your pet!"

"No!" She resisted. Her specialized combat training surpassed his, and she disarmed him. He took a step back.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you in with that…thing."

She aimed his relinquished gun at him. Puggy trotted up, and purred against her leg. "Open the blast doors and let us in, before we're all slaughtered by a hostile alien."

"I can't do that," he croaked. He quivered slightly, unsure of what would happen next.

"Faustine, stop," Dr. Thomson said, putting a hand on her weapon. "The last thing we need to be doing is shooting each other. Now, if you don't trust, uh, Puggy, then we can put him in a cell or something so he can't harm anyone. But I assure you, he's only helped us since we've found him, and Miss Vernon has even domesticated it…somewhat."

"Okay," she slowly said, but didn't let her guard down just yet. "You say the two legged acid spitting monsters are actually helping you? At Black Mesa they were quite vicious."

The soldier frowned. "Yeah, they're as friendly as can be. Look, we can discuss this matter later. I don't feel very safe out here, let's get inside."

Faustine handed the weapon back to the soldier. He took it briskly, and then turned his attention to Puggy. "I've got my eye on you." It hissed back at him.

The group made their way up to the entrance of the base. The soldier requested that the main door be opened from a speaker. In only a few moments, the rusted heavy door creaked open.

As the group entered, the Houndeye started attracting stares. Faustine snatched him into her arms, and then followed the Corporal to the holding cells. Dr. Thomson, Dr. Meijer, and Wilbert were led to the mentioned research lab, while Josh, Jian, and Kurtiss turned down the opposite corridor to find the barracks.

Houghton knew standard protocols, and joined the rest of the personnel, feeling like he was at home.

Dr. Sarris got the attention of a medic, who in turn started leading her and Lexine to the infirmary. Kurtiss handed the alien rifle to Josh, and then turned away from his friend to accompany Lexine. Josh glanced back at him, and was about to protest, but then saw what was going on. He smiled, and continued walking.

"Do you know what's wrong with my d—uh, this little girl?" Dr. Sarris asked a busy doctor.

"Does she have a virus?" he flatly asked.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"I've been seeing all sorts of things like that," he answered. "Ever since the aliens showed up, the common cold, a flu, and just about anything viral have all of a sudden turned into the deadliest thing I've ever encountered. Our body can still fight them normally, but if you're already sick, I'm afraid you'll be dead in two or three days at the current rate I've observed."

"What have you observed?" she fearfully asked, lying the small girl down onto one of the few remaining empty beds.

He sighed. "Everything. Organ failure, neural decay, unnatural fever; the list goes on. One thing surprising, though, is that nobody else has gotten sick that didn't already have a virus before the, ah, attack. In short, it's non-commutable, at least so far."

"So far?" she asked.

"The viruses are mutating at an exponential rate. Nothing changes this fast; a runny nose to heart failure," he explained, pulling off rubber gloves to write down some information on a clip board.

"What's her name, the little girl?"

"Rachael."

"Last name?" he asked.

"I, ah, can't remember off the top of my head. Just put down 'Sarris'."

"Alright…and how about…oh my," he trailed off, seeing Lexine. "What on Earth happened to her?"

Dr. Sarris shrugged. "I don't know, but she's messed up. I don't think she's sick, are you?"

Lexine shook her head. She still shivered, even though it was warm inside the facility.

"She was in a suit or something," Kurtiss tried to explain. "It had needles and stuff, but it looked pretty beast with the orange coloring, and a funky Greek letter on it."

"What on Earth are you talking about?" the doctor looked at him from over his glasses, checking to see if he was sane. "Are you related to any of these people."

"Uh, no."

"Then shoo, get out of here," he waved him off.

Kurtiss backed off, and started to leave. Then, he looked over at Lexine. "I hope you, uh, feel better…soon."

He then left the room, and moved around the hallway, still looking through a glass window at her. He desperately wanted to know her condition.

"Lie down, looks like you're messed up in more than one way. What's your name?"

"L-Lexine Lynn St-tapleton," she stuttered, laying down. She rubbed her arms nervously.

_I'm messed up…_

The doctor turned to the pediatrician. "Okay…and are you related to anyone here?"

She turned her attention off Rachael, and back to the doctor. "No. But Rachael doesn't have any parents, so I've practically adopted her."

He scratched his chin. "Okay, but I'm going to ask you to wait outside. There's so many patients here all dying of one thing or another, and I'm one of three doctors here, so try to stay out of my way."

"I'm a pediatrician; I can help you if you need it."

"If I need it," he grumbled to himself. "I'll seek you out if I do, but I've got things under control. I think your shaggy friend might need your help though."

She smiled, and then let him get back to his business. She wove between beds until she was back in the hallway again with Kurtiss.

"I hope she gets better," he worried out loud.

"I agree," she replied. "She's so young and pretty for this to happen to her."

"Yeah," he agreed.

"I always wanted to be a mother," Dr. Sarris began, "but with my job, I just don't have the time. I never try to get close to my patients, and usually I don't because I see them for such short periods of time, but Rachael…well, she's all I have left in this world…that and this ridiculous medical costume."

He showed concern, but couldn't take his attention off Lexine. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and he wanted desperately to hold her close and tell her that everything would be alright.

On the other side of the facility, a soldier led Mr. Wan and Josh to the civilian bunks. "Besides for the couple we found hiking, you can choose any bunk you want."

Josh glanced quickly around the room. "I don't suppose the cafeteria is the next stop?"

The soldier smiled. "Yeah, that sounds good to me too. We're rationing food, however, so don't expect to get more than half an open faced sandwich."

"Anything will do," he said, willing to accept a cracker.

"So," Jian asked, "what is our attack plan?"

"Attack?" the soldier asked, surprised. "Right now we're struggling to defend this base. The aliens stopped attacking, but we lost a third of our men. We heard a report of another base launching a nuke at the aliens, but…that went badly."

Josh chose not to ask about it. "We managed to get this alien weapon," he showed him the device he was carrying. The soldier inspected it.

"This is…great. I'll take this down to our lab to see if we can use it."

"Yeah, their weaponry not only pierces their shields, but does a lot of damage to their armor," Josh added.

"Excellent. Ah, Mr. Wan, is it? Yes, I see that you have a sword there. Are you trained in combat?"

He smiled, and proudly replied, "Yes. I even fight alien one on one, and live."

"Now that," the soldier chuckled, "is very impressive. But anyway, we're _very_ short on manpower. I'm afraid, whether you like it or not, we're going to have to train and use you in combat."

"I refuse to use gun," Jian said. "Stupid device; fire in straight line. I attack from any angle."

"Uh," the soldier said, scratching the back of his neck, "you're going to have to take that up with someone else. For now, let's continue our tour, shall we?"

They agreed, and moved in the direction of the cafeteria.

Not far away, Faustine still held a perturbed creature as she was led down the corridors by the Corporal. Along the way, she passed a Bullsquid, walking down the hallways as if it were patrolling them. It made a strange noise, odd like a lion meowing affectionately, at her. Puggy hissed in response; something Faustine could still not figure out, as it had no obvious mouth.

The soldier entered a four digit code into a panel, and then opened a security door. She was led into a small, vacant holding cell area, with the exception of a guard, (not nearly as trained as she was,) with another Bullsquid as a 'pet'. He put the magazine he was reading down, got up from a small metal chair, and opened a cell.

Faustine set Puggy down, and pushed him into the cell. It was a stubborn thing, maintaining surprising stability on three legs. The metal cell door was quickly shut, making Puggy wimper.

"Don't worry little guy," she said, reaching through the bars to scratch his back. "As soon as I convince these guys you're harmless, I'll let you out. Now be a good boy, and don't blow anything up."

It chirped, and then began to trot in circles around the cell. The Bullsquid watched it like a predator. "I don't get it," the other guard remarked. "Those suckers are so nasty. How'd you get this one to be friendly?"

"I don't know," she said. "It was just naturally like this when it came out of a portal. Speaking of which, I was under the impression that there would be seldom any portals springing up this far from Black Mesa. How do you have all these critters running around?"

He shrugged. "I never saw any portals. These things just started attacking with the aliens. Then the squidy things started attacking the aliens, and have been our friends since."

_Something doesn't add up_, she thought.

"This is a mystery I'll solve later," she said. "Just…please just listen to me. Puggy is completely harmless. He never tried to attack me, and didn't hesitate to attack the…squidy things which were very hostile from where I came from. If Puggy attacks, which he won't, then you're free to…detain him. But I swear, if you so much as scratch him, I'll show you how it feels to get nuzzled by _your_ pet."

With that, she left the room in a huff. The guard shrugged, and then picked up the magazine he was reading.

Approaching the bowels of the facility, the three scientists were led down to the laboratory.

"This ought to be interesting," Dr. Thomson muttered to Dr. Meijer. "After coming from Black Mesa, this place is going to be laughable."

The soldier leading them talked with pride. "We have a respectable research lab here, used in an emergency in case something happened in the city. Right now we're working on analyzing alien tech, and trying to find a way to beat them."

When they finally reached their destination, the three were actually impressed by the lab. For being a military installation, it did have respectable equipment. A researcher approached them. "Ah, hello there! I take it you three come from the city?"

"No," Dr. Meijer smiled. "Ever heard of a place called Black Mesa?"

His eyes went wide. "I've only heard stories; never thought they could be true. Wait, I heard your broadcast! Yes, I'm overjoyed to have you here. We're currently working on analyzing the aliens, and trying to find their weaknesses."

"A way to stop them, right?" Wilbert asked.

"Uh, yes."

He chuckled. "I already had a method. Not do the blasted test on the crystal in the first place!"

"Test?" the scientist questioned, confused. Dr. Meijer rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, as I said in my radio broadcast, we did start this. We obviously didn't do so intentionally, but, we did start the resonance cascade."

The scientist turned his attention back to Wilbert. "And you tried to stop then and they wouldn't listen. Of course, and now you're blaming them, I understand that. But we don't have enough fingers to be pointing them right now. If you could foresee this event, then start working on how to stop it."

He sighed, and then slouched off to criticize someone else's work.

"I'm sorry about him," Dr. Thomson apologized. "He's had a rough day."

"Yeah," a nearby researcher looking into a microscope breathed.

"Anyhow," the lead scientist asked, "what do you two…specialize in?"

"Well, Dr. Fredrick there and I specialized in cross dimensional travel. The aliens found a way into our universe, maybe we could do the same into theirs."

"And try to destroy their home world, right?" he predicted. "I think that Hollywood is going to have a negative effect on our strategies, so let's think outside popular science fiction. What about you, eh, Dr. Thomson?"

"I lead the design of the Hazardous Environment Suit. It's a protective suit that can be enabled for combat. When Dr. Stapleton was wearing one, it proved invaluable to our protection. It took out multiple aliens, both the little critters and the ones with space ships."

"Think you can recreate one?"

Dr. Thomson looked around the lab in dismay. "No, not without more resources and manpower."

Sighing, he continued, "Well, just help with something. If you can't, we're going to throw a vest on you and give you a gun."

He and Dr. Meijer then went over to help other scientists, all examining bits of alien metal, virally infected tissue samples, and other items. Dr. Fredrick looked at a map someone was examining.

"Our scouts managed to spot an alien supply depot," she said, pointing to a circled area of the map North of the base. "They say it's relatively unguarded. The aliens must be using it to rapidly redeploy troops, so if we take it out, it will tip the battle to our advantage."

"Well, there are two things wrong with that," he began. "One, tipping this battle is like placing a penny on one end of the scale, with a mountain on the other end. Second, the aliens obviously want you to attack this outpost."

"How can you be sure?" she asked, confused.

"The aliens let you get this information to draw troops away from the base. Anything they return with will probably be rigged to explode or something. Even if we do secure some valuable tech, it will be the aliens toying with us, trying to make the battle last more than seven seconds!"

"So what do we do? Die without a fight?" she retorted.

He was about to agree sarcastically, but then got an idea. "No. Search South of the base; far South. Send supplies with the troops so they can go multiple days. The aliens have something in that direction they do not want us getting their hands on."

"How can you be sure? You're making an awful lot of guesses."

He shrugged. "It's only logical. If the aliens wanted us to attack something, they would put any high priority target far away, so we couldn't accidentally find it."

She thought for a moment. "That's clever thinking. I'll ask them, but I can't guarantee anything."

"Better than wiping my mind again," he muttered, moving on to the next worker.

Back at the infirmary, the doctor stepped out of the room. Kurtiss rushed over to him, desperate to hear about Lexine. "Well, I'm not psychiatrist, but something has seriously messed her up. It looks like she has had tons of drugs injected into her system, combined with high stress."

"Is she hurt otherwise?"

"Yes and no. I can tell she has broken many bones, but also that they have healed very quickly. Whatever drugs that suit of yours put into her system, it saved her life many times. The punctures will heal, and it doesn't look like she's sick, at least physically."

"And how's Rachael?" Dr. Sarris asked, wringing her hands.

"Not good," the doctor said flatly. "If she's lucky, she'll die quickly. If not…" he trailed off, looking back at a man, screaming in agony on a bed.

"Can't you do anything?"

"I'm afraid not. Unless the boys in our science lab can whip up some anti-viral medication lickety-split…she's done."

Dr. Sarris bit her lip, and her hands went cold. "You can see her if you'd like, as I said, you can't catch it," he added. He could stand seeing a patient die, but their living family was much harder to face. "And your girlfriend could use someone to talk to."

He gave a weak smile, and then returned to the room. Kurtiss followed closely behind him, and then moved over to Lexine's bed. The doctor had sedated her for her own sake. The suit's drugs still ran her veins, so she wasn't entirely asleep.

Kurtiss took her fragile hand, and squeezed it slightly. "You're going to be fine," he softly spoke.

"W-who are you?" she whispered half consciously.

"Kurtiss Votow. Now just try to fall asleep, I'll be right here."

"You d-don't belong here," she mumbled.

He chuckled a little. "You're right on that one. I'll let you get some sleep," he said, standing up. She weakly held him back.

"I can't sleep, o-or wake up. I f-feel dead."

"Doc says you should be," Kurtiss said, pulling up a chair to sit down. "Just take it easy."

She gave a faint smile, closing her eyes. Kurtiss didn't leave that position until after dinner.

Dr. Sarris didn't go in to see Rachael. She stood frozen by the window, watching as every breath the little girl took was more and more labored. Eventually, she started walking with the people in the halls, aimlessly wandering them.

The Corporal looked at a wall clock, and saw that he still had another half hour on his shift. He made his way back outside, where he leaned against the concrete wall again, scanning the forest. Not long after, he spotted the patrol sent to the city returning, running frantically.

He stood up straight, looking behind them to see if they were being followed. When they reached him, they all looked as if they had the fear of the devil in them.

"The city…it's GONE."

"Gone! What do you mean gone?" he demanded an answer.

Another explained angrily, "It's a HOLE IN THE GROUND! There isn't even as much an ocean left to pour into it!"

The Corporal staggered back against the metal door, and put a hand to his forehead. "Alright, tell the CO, and tech lab. Did you know what the aliens are up to?" he asked out of curiosity.

"I have no idea, but it looks like they're mining our planet, but not just for natural resources. They took all the buildings, dirt, people, and everything somehow."

He sighed, and slid down the side of the blast door. "Normally I'd think of something encouraging to say at this point…but I think we're screwed."

Many miles South of the base, a Luumaothican research outpost rested silently on the ground. The base was placed on the ground, so that inertia-less drives wouldn't interfere with the subject's results. Saying such, it was well protected. It was guarded by two Warriors, a gunship, countless Soldiers, and the command ship was visible on the horizon, ready to unleash a furry of precision plasma fire.

Inside the base, a researcher was just finishing up some final scans of the two humans. He then contacted the command ship. "I've just finished all tests allowing or requiring the subjects to be alive. I am going to move on to lethal experiments now."

"Understood," the Commander replied. "Have you made progress on the antimatter weapon?"

"Well, we made it compatible with our hardware, but a single gun doesn't do much. We have begun scanning the atomic structure of the device, as it is the only way to replicate it at this point. Locating the beneficial flaw could take days, or years."

"Continue scanning. If we can replicate this awesome weapon, we might consider completely replacing plasma-based arms."

"Will do. Flourish," he said, closing the communications channel.

The alien researcher then looked back down at his control panel. Incredibly, it said that half of the required non-lethal tests had not been done. He checked the databases, and couldn't find any other record of them being done.

He assumed that it must be a genetic sensory flaw. Instead of informing the commander, which would result in an extensive genetic rollback and rewrite, he simply began to perform the tests again.

The Luumaothican had no idea that, for the first time, their mighty computer systems had been hacked by a lesser entity. That hacker rested comfortably in a gigantic white cube hundreds of miles away, in a facility slowly being rebuilt by swarms of assistance androids.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

FIFTY YEARS AFTER LUUMAOTHICAN HOMESTAR SUPERNOVA

The Luumaothican ambassador eyed the reptilian creature, anxiously awaiting a response. Its tall yellow eyes blinked twice, and it cocked its dark green head sideways.

"You can't mine on our moon, what did you expect!" It slammed its webbed palm onto the table. "Our moon is of great religious importance to our people, and you want to strip it of its precious ores! Your empire is already three times stronger than anyone's in the galaxy; what could you possibly want?"

"Please," he replied, "we can offer you any amount of credits you desire, and we'll mine from the inside. We have located a cave we can phase a mining ship into, take the ores we need, and the minority of religious fools on the surface won't know the difference."

"The 'minority'," it snarled, "makes up almost eighty five percent of our people, including me. You have insulted my religion by thinking you can buy me out. Get out of here, and I'll pretend we've never met."

The Luumaothican smiled, and turned to leave the room. "And if you so much as phase a survey probe into the vicinity of our moon," the disturbed alien shouted from behind, "and I'll blast it out of the sky!"

The ambassador boarded his shuttle, and then gave the mining operation authorization to begin.

Only a few weeks later, the same reptilian alien stood before a great council of representatives from multiple alien species. The Luumaothican representative was not present at the time. "This is an outrage! Despite my explicit disapproval, the Luumaothicans have begun to mine our sacred moon! I request authorization to proceed with military action."

An artificial intelligence, serving as the chancellor, collected input from all the other representatives. "Request approved. The Nak'shi Republic, and Ghyllians will contribute their powerful warships to the effort, along with my automated peacekeepers. The council has decided that the Luumaothican Empire must not gain more resources at this time, especially from your moon. If they do not yield, other races are willing to join in for a full scale attack."

"Excellent," he replied, muttering a quick thanks to his god. "I will prepare my men."

The combined fleet of seventeen heavily armed and armored warships and hundreds of support fighters phased into orbit around the Trajkaa moon. The purple, squid like Ghyllians owned eight of the warships, the Nak'shi, a very human looking alien with some primate features, owned five of the city sized ships, while the Trajkaa owned the remaining four. The fighters were all automated, due to a high probability of being destroyed in combat. This great fleet approached the moon, watching in rage as the Luumaothicans were stripping it clean.

"This is the Trajkaa warship, Redemption, to all Luumaothican vessels," the alien general spoke. He saw the divots in his sacred moon, and the fire in his belly grew. "Leave this sector immediately, or we will open fire."

"I've been given authorization and orders to mine this moon," a Luumaothican captian replied. "Do not interfere with this operation."

The general had finally lost all patients with the Luumaothicans. He spoke directly to the rest of the fleet. "Fire upon the mining ships, destroy them all!"

The fleet then unleashed a barrage of flak fire, missiles, ion beams, and laser weaponry at the mining fleet. The Luumaothican shields held out for a substantial time, but then they started failing. A mining ship's shield generators exploded from strain, knocking out its engines. It crashed into the surface of the moon, and soon others followed.

Suddenly, the sensors on a Ghyllian ship flared. A massive fleet of Luumaothican warships was en route, and would phase in any second. "The Luumaothican MBF is coming, we have to pull out!"

"We can take them on!" the Trajkaa general shouted back. "God didn't let my people die during the great droughts, god didn't let an asteroid destroy his home in the sky, and neither did he let it destroy ours! We cannot fail against one alien species, we…"

He trailed off as the Luumaothican fleet popped up on his sensors. Hundreds of warships, ten times the size of their largest, surrounded by thousands of fighters and support vessels were converging on their fleet. Their electronic warfare capabilities were admirable, instantly knocking out the phase drives of all the alliance's ships.

They disengaged the miner targets, and faced the huge fleet speeding towards them. The Trajkaa warship led their small fleet, determined to win.

The Luumaothicans had no mercy. They unleashed a barrage of plasma fire, ripping through shields, and destroying half their fleet in a single volley. The Redemption had been damaged severely, but still limped towards the advancing force. The Afterlife had been completely destroyed, and the two other warships barely held together.

"DIE YOU SOULLESS MONSTERS!" the general screamed, firing every weapon left on the battered hull. Hundreds of missiles sailed from their tubes, targeting one Luumaothican ship. The Luumaothican command ship, leading the counterattack, absorbed all of the damage with its shields. The ship, at this time was merely a few hundred kilometers long, as opposed to the four thousand kilometers it would grow to in the future.

"This is the Destiny, we've lost main drives, and cannot hold out much longer! If we can retreat to the magnetic field of our moon, we might have a shot at jumping out of here!"

Most of the Ghyllian and Nak'shi ships had already begun retreating. The Trajkaa general did not blame them, as someone had to warn the council, but he was ashamed to see his brothers wanting to run as well. "We always fight until death, you know that! Ascension; cover the Destiny, all remaining fighters, direct your fire at the command ship!"

The loyal and courageous crew of the three remaining warships focused all their fire onto the command ship. Its shields held off the attack without any problem. The Luumaothican warships launched a second volley, completely destroying all the remaining Trajkaa ships. As the Redemption's hull burst like a metal balloon, the commander got one final look at his glorious moon, drifting majestically above their home. He didn't know if the Luumaothicans would be stopped, but he died knowing that one day his god would bring them to justice.

A single Nak'shi warship managed to phase jump out of the Trajkaa system, and made a beeline for the galactic council. As a final insult, the Luumaothican fleet barraged the ravaged moon, obliterating it. Then, to assure that there were no warships on the surface of the planet, they began to plasma bomb every city. In a few minutes, the entire surface of the planet was incinerated. The Trajkaa's religion forbid them from colonizing any other worlds, or even from leaving the planet for longer than a short time. The Luumaothican Empire had wiped out its first civilization, and it would most certainly not be its last.

The council was in panic. The sudden extinction of such a well protected race was shocking, and in many species memories, the Luumaothican Empire was a noble one. That now power hungry empire's representative gleamed at the huge room of chaos, as his hovering platform was brought to the AI terminal in the center.

"The Luumaothican Empire has been found guilty of unauthorized mining in foreign space, refusal of the council's orders, and destroying the entire Trajkaa civilization. You are now stripped of the right to own space faring vessels. All of you ships are to be handed over to the council, and you must abandon all colonies except for one on the far rim. Any attempt to leave the planet will result in your race's extinction."

The Luumaothican smiled, and shook his head. "This galaxy belongs to us now. You can either submit willingly, or die."

Shouts of anger filled the room. Every species in the galaxy chanted death for the Luumaothicans. The AI quickly silenced them. "You no longer have the privilege to appear on the council. You are to be confined to a single planet for the next ten thousand years, when we will then consider communicating again."

The Luumaothican chuckled to himself, and let his platform take him out into a connecting corridor. Two armed robots were waiting for him, and escorted the representative to his ship. Upon getting in, he had to laugh once more at the council's futile attempts to detain him. His ship had been set on auto pilot to a far off colony, along with every other ship in their fleet.

With a quick movement of his wrist over the control panel, he activated hidden computer programs. All their ships were immediately released from external control, and resumed their activities. He turned his transport ship around, and made a beeline for the massive space station that held the galaxy's government.

Defensive turrets acquired firing solutions, and the handful of warships on full time duty turned to fire. Before any of the shots actually reached him, however, he activated his phase drives.

The Luumaothicans had invented the phase drive, and shared it with all species before the supernova. It worked by breaking down the ship down into subatomic particles and further many times, until all that remained was a stream of energy. It could then be shot across vast distances at almost instantaneous speeds, and reform back into a space faring vessel. This beam of energy could fit between atoms, but this time, those safety systems were disabled.

The small transport ship was disintegrated into a beam of energy, and then shot _through_ the station. It smashed through billions of atoms, causing atomic explosions in every instance. The station's shields could do nothing to dampen the damage. It detonated in a great blast, brighter than the largest of novas. The shockwave destroyed the sizable fleet guarding the station, and the little transport ship was already far away, rendezvousing with the Luumaothican fleet.

PRESENT DAY, EARTH

Sanchali sighed as the daily rituals began.

"RISE AND SHINE YOU WORTHLESS SCUM!"

She didn't want to further anger the man, so she briskly got out of her cold bunk, and stood up straight.

"You pathetic pile of meat, it's already five thirty! An important mission is coming up, and I do not want to scrape your flesh off the ground! You have a half hour to get down to the briefing room…"

His words lost meaning as he began to tell her all the things she did wrong. She wondered why he was singling her out, and her eyes briefly deviated from looking straight forward to glance around the room. Besides for them, it was completely empty.

"…and—WOMAN! Are you listening to me?"

Her eyes snapped forward again. "I am, sir."

"You better shape up," he spat, literally. Then, he said something that surprised her. "If you don't, you might just be joining your fluffy white friend in hell!"

She looked up at him with fury in her eyes. "What did you just say?"

"I said—" he began, but could say no more. A fist appeared in the corner of his vision, and smacked him in the face. The officer recoiled in pain and shock, holding his face. He took his hands away for a moment to strike back at her, but a foot was already on its way.

She kicked him on the opposite side of his now scrunched up face, sending his feet briefly off the ground. He landed on his back, but quickly regained his composure. "It looks like there's some meat on your bones after all!"

With a hurricane of emotion, Sanchali jumped onto him. She managed to land another blow on his bleeding head before he kicked her off him. She had lost the element of surprise, and the soldier was far from beaten.

He stood, producing a knife. He smiled at her, bleeding from the mouth and nose. "I'm going to have some fun with you after I mess you up!"

He charged at her, swinging the knife. She dodged it, and threw another punch at him. This time he grabbed her arm, and then punched her with the knife that doubled as brass knuckles. She struggled to break free, but after another few blows, the only resistance was her own weight.

The soldier grunted, and then smashed her face into his knee as he was bringing it up. He grabbed her limp body by the shoulders, and slammed her against the wall, pinning her there with his forearm to her neck.

Her left eye was aching, and her jaw screamed with pain. Blood flowed from her face onto his arm, staining his wrinkled uniform.

She struggled slightly, but every movement she made was completely futile. In the previous officers she had dealt with, they had all tried to break her down mentally, but had all seemed slightly uneasy. This one had no boundaries, and had damaged her physically. She could smell alcohol on his breath.

"I hope you can still use that mouth of yours," he breathed into her ear. His knife was pressed into her neck just far enough to draw blood from the skin. "We've only got a half hour before they're expecting whatever's left of you downstairs."

Her one open eye slowly turned away from his face, and at a cloudy figure behind him. "You look at me, bi—"

Suddenly, a sharp crack came from his skull. His body went limp, and he fell to the ground. Sanchali slumped against the wall, barely conscious.

"YOU'LL DIE FOR THAT!" Scott shouted, repeatedly swinging his golf club into the officer's skull. His face became smashed inward, and blood squirted everywhere.

Sanchali could to nothing but watch as blood dripped from her chin. When Scott was finally satisfied, he threw his slightly bent iron aside. He stared at the body, his muscles twitching. "They…gave me something. Please, get away from me."

She looked at him with a wobbly head, bemused. She eventually stood, shaking on her feet. She used a bunk for support, and began to inch her way towards the door. "Thank you," she slurred as pain swelled in her jaw. It felt ajar, and she could not bear to close it.

She reached for the doorknob, wincing with pain, and twisted. She managed to yank it open, and stumbled into the hallway.

A passing officer immediately spotted her, and rushed over. She collapsed into his arms, and he quickly shouted for a medic. Her world of pain slowly faded as she slipped into unconsciousness.

Kurtiss sat uncomfortably in a poorly padded metal chair. Josh and Jian sat in the same row among soldiers of various ranks. Dr. Thomson stood at the back of the room with Houghton, leaning against the wall.

An officer walked up to the front of the room, holding a packet of information. "You all know what situation we're in," he began. "Until recently, our plan was to attack an alien storage here." He pointed to a red circle on a map, posted to the wall. He flicked the cap off his marker, and made a big 'X' through it.

"Dr. Fredrick has observed that this base is obviously a decoy of some sort. We're not exactly sure why, but the aliens want us to attack it. He also had the idea to scout south of the base, and we found something very interesting."

He marked a section a few miles down, labeling it the target. "This seems to be a heavily guarded alien outpost. Whatever they have inside they do _not _want us getting our hands on. The plan is to take the APC down, unload our troops, and take the base."

Nervous rumors filled the room. "This mission," he continued, "will be very difficult. Thankfully, we now have one of their weapons on our side."

Dr. Thomson smiled, walking up to the front of the room. He held a small device, looking like the trigger and handle of a handgun, combined with the front end of an alien's 'hand'. "This here, when attached to the alien plasma weapon we have secured, will allow you to fire it like any other weapon. We haven't been able to do any in depth studies of it, but we know that it has a single plasma canister installed in a tube near the top of the weapon."

"In other words," the officer eyed everyone in the room seriously, "we don't know how many shots we'll have with it. Use it only on the biggest targets, and don't miss."

"Judging from what Mr. Strumble told us, the alien's shielding systems are plasma based, meaning their weapon's projectiles pierce through them," Dr. Thomson reported.

"If the mission goes badly, and you have to retreat, it's probably safe to come directly back here. The aliens already know where we are, and according to Dr. Fredrick, are 'playing with us'. Anyhow, in that scenario, we need to get this weapon back. Right now it's our only chance at scratching them."

Dr. Thomson quickly added, "But don't scratch them if you don't need to. Bring back as much of their equipment as you can safely secure; right now, we have very little information about the aliens."

The officer motioned for the scientist to stand aside. He stood up straight and proud, and addressed the room. "I won't lie to you, this mission will be next to impossible. The APC can hold twelve men; three of them need to be qualified." He turned his attention to the civilians in the room. "Are there any volunteers?"

Six soldiers immediately stood. Two more followed, and then Houghton. Josh then stood, glancing back at Kurtiss. He shook his head, not wanting to leave Lexine alone at the base.

"Alright," the officer quickly counted heads. "Corporal Mathews, you're in, and so are you…Dr. Thomson."

"Me?" he questioned, stunned.

"We might need someone to analyze equipment on the field," he answered. "You already mastered the firing mechanism of their weapon; let's see what else you can do."

His palms started to sweat. "Uh, okay, I guess."

"Good. Now that we have that settled, you're dismissed. The mission's on at fourteen hundred hours get ready."

Corporal Mathews slipped out, hurrying away. Mr. Wan didn't know much about military procedures, but he could spot a burglar from a mile off. He silently followed him down the hall.

Kurtiss stood, and faced his friend. "Come back safe, okay?"

"Don't worry, buddy," he said shaking his hand. The two friends then embraced, and Kurtiss felt a tear forming in his eye.

"Don't be a hero. Come back here, okay?"

"I will Kurt. I promise."

Josh backed away and smiled. Kurtiss then nodded his head, and the two left the room.

Mathews had slipped into an office, and closed the door partway. He then walked into an adjoining room, and when he was sure he was alone, he picked up a phone. Placing a silenced pistol onto the table, he quickly dialed a secret number.

Jian slipped into the office behind him, putting his hand on the sword that never left his side.

"They're planning a mission to attack an alien base at fourteen hundred, today. Wait, hold on." He heard something behind him, and quietly picked up the weapon, holding it so the pursuer behind him would not know about it. Jian still approached, ready to slay the traitor.

When Sanchali awoke, she was lying on a white bed. He jaw was wired shut, and her left eye swollen closed. She moaned, sitting up. A doctor turned to her, for the first time showing concern. "Good, you're up. You took quite a beating, but your body is holding up just fine. They want you down in the briefing room," he said, glancing up at a clock, "and it looks like you're late."

She hopped off the table. Sanchali had played in plenty of games with normally disabling injuries, so this was nothing new. "Alright doc," she said through her teeth. "At least I'll still be able to eat my slop."

He chuckled to himself, and she laughed too. "Ah, okay then. Ahem, look, don't tell them I told you, but they're trying to make you a hardened soldier by breaking any spirit you have. Just play along, and hopefully nobody will, uh, literally break you again."

She smiled the best she could, fighting back the pain. "Thanks," she said, hobbling out of the room.

Upon reaching the briefing room, she paused at the door. She prepared herself for her usual greeting, and slowly entered.

"PALKIA! Jesus, you're an hour and a half late! What…" He trailed off, observing her condition.

_Mr. Burcin went too far this time…_

"Sorry sir," she grunted. "I was held up. Sorry if I inconvenienced you."

"Uh, just sit down. Are you alright?" he asked, showing genuine concern.

"Yeah," she said, "I'm just peachy."

She then slumped into a chair, and took a big swig of water from the half full glass that awaited her.

"What the blazes did you do to her?" The police man shot up out of his chair.

The officer was at a loss for words. "I-I don't know. We, eh, I didn't do this. Look, sit down! We have it under control."

He glared at him, slowly taking his seat. He looked over at Sanchali, and she gave him a quick nod, telling him that she was alright.

"Um, okay. You will be joining us on your first mission today at fourteen hundred hours," he began, trying not to stare at Sanchali. He was originally going to take the opportunity to insult her for not being able to understand military time, but merely said, "That's two o'clock."

He cleared his throat, recomposing himself. "Now, we're going to be attacking a hostile military base opposed to the aliens. You will receive plasma weaponry, and will be accompanied by soldiers. We will also be sending in our Black Ops, which have cloaking devices and other specialized equipment. Don't let them startle you if you see one," he smiled, "but you probably won't have to worry about that."

A body builder raised a finger. "You're not going to send Miss Palkia in her condition, are you?"

"Of course!" he retorted. "It's only a broken jaw; my granddad carried his guts in across a battlefield to get to a hospital without complaining, so I don't expect to hear any out of you." Although nobody in the room knew this, surprisingly, his story was true.

"We're going to go in to clear out and capture the base. Remember that these people are our enemy. Take the scientists and any civilians prisoner if you can, but otherwise, kill them all. The instant you let one go will be the instant you join them."

He then added something that Mr. Burcin had not told him; one of the few things that he actually believed. "As of this moment, you are all soldiers. You represent what is left of America, and the entire human race. Killing these people might seem cruel, but we will be seen as heroes to our children, as we tell them the sacrifices we made to save our world."

Even after the officer had left the room, his words still echoes in Sanchali's head. She thought about her life, her cat, and how suddenly and brutally it was taken from her. All of a sudden, a wonderful fact popped into her head; the men who killed her cat were in a truck. That means they could have survived. She memorized their faces, and they were not at the base. They had to be at the base she would soon be attacking.

She smiled, despite the pain it caused her. All her hatred and suffering were finally directed towards one thing; revenge.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Corporal Mathews spun around, aiming his silenced pistol at Jian. He reacted quickly, and with one fluid motion of his sword, severed the man's arm.

He screamed out in pain, falling backwards over a chair. Jian stood over him, with his sword at his throat. "Tell me; who was on phone? Who did you call?"

Mathews looked at him with too much fear to speak, and then simply passed out. "Bah," he grumbled, sheathing his sword.

"What is the meaning of this?" an officer shouted, storming into the room. He saw the body on the ground, and turned his attention to Mr. Wan.

"He called someone on phone. Give away plan. Try to shoot me." He motioned over to the pistol, lying on the floor with a hand still gripping it.

The officer scratched the back of his neck. "That's just great. We can't just let this opportunity slip by us; we'll proceed with the mission anyway. Mr. Wan, stay here and defend the base if anyone tries to attack it."

He quickly nodded, and then exited the room.

Down in the garage, soldiers were quickly squeezing into a drab green APC. The alien weapon was carefully loaded with Dr. Thomson. Sergeant Houghton climbed aboard, and was followed by Josh.

Kurtiss stood behind him, watching his friend board. "Just remember; don't be a hero."

He nodded, and the small hatch closed behind him. The garage doors squeaked open, and the APC silently rolled into the forest.

Inside there were no windows and a small green light poorly lit the cramped interior. Josh felt rumbling, but otherwise had no idea where they were moving.

"Alright men," Sergeant Houghton began, "we have no idea what to expect when we get out of the APC. Scatter and take cover, focusing on large targets first. Then, we'll advance towards the alien base and try to secure as much equipment as we can."

"Corporal Taylor, you'll wield the alien plasma weapon. Again, be careful with how much ammunition you use. You could have a hundred shots left or just one; we don't know."

"When will we get there?" Josh asked as he was being handed an assault rifle.

"About twenty minutes," the driver replied.

The APC shook, jostling its occupants. Dr. Thomson twiddled his thumbs, anxious to get his hands on more alien technology.

"So, what do you do for a living, Mr. Strumble?"

"I'm an English teacher at a juvenile detention facility," he replied. "It's more interesting than it seems; the students I deal with have so much rage in them, that I try to have them turn it into words. Many of them just blow off most of their assignments, but the few that do them write so beautifully…"

"I see. And you, Dr. Thomson, worked at some 'super secret' research facility somewhere?"

"Oh yes," he proudly replied, "I did. It was amazing working there; best years of my life by far. My greatest achievement there was the HEV; hazardous environment suit."

The group sat silent as the APC continued to rock. Far off in the forest, the remains of a destroyed HEVC lie silent on the ground. Then, a tall female figure approached them. She had steel white hair falling just above her shoulders, brilliant green eyes, and wore a sparkling silver dress. She looked down at the suit, smiled, and shook her head slightly.

Sanchali was handed a plasma rifle, and a belt of ammunition. She hooked it around herself, and clenched then unclenched her jaw muscles. The wiring would take some getting used to.

A dual bladed helicopter, being loaded with troops and black operatives, slowly roared to life as the hangar doors above them opened.

Scott held his weapon of choice tightly, nervously glancing around. The civilians stood in a small cluster as an officer approached them.

"We are going in to hostile territory. We'll deploy the black ops first, that will confuse our enemy, but you will be taking most of the fire as the visible targets. Your weapon does NOT have shield generators, so don't hide behind it. If anything, hide your weapon behind your body; it's more valuable than you are."

He paced back in forth, inspecting them. "Some of you will die!" he shouted over the whirr of the helicopter's blades. "The rest of you will live, and will be remembered by your children as the saviors of humanity! Now get onto that bird and make your country proud! GO! GO! GO!"

They broke off, and rushed over to the helicopter. Sanchali easily climbed on board, and scrunched into an open seat. She put her harness on, and leaned back against her seat. "This is the pilot; we're taking off. ETA ten minutes."

The helicopter rose from the hangar, and then glided across the forest. Sanchali looked out a small window to see the trees passing below. Then, a shimmer caught her attention.

She looked into the middle of the helicopter, and saw the flickering bodies of a few black ops, standing upright while holding onto safety bars. The flickering got more severe, and finally, their cloaking generators cut out, reveling their black suits and red goggles.

"Hey, HEY!" she shouted, trying to get their attention. "I can see you!"

One glanced down, and looked at his hands. He then looked at his partner, and he was visible too. He pressed against the side of his ear, and contacted high command. "This is unit W1L50N; something is interfering with our cloaking generators."

Mr. Burcin, on the other end, replied, "Doesn't matter; we'll run a diagnostic when you return. You're only going up against other humans, so you won't really need them."

"Understood; out."

He looked over at Sanchali, and gave her a quick nod. She smiled, and then leaned back against her seat again. She then wondered briefly if she had just helped the 'good guys' or the 'bad guys', but figured that everyone fell under the latter.

The rumbling of the APC had made Josh almost doze off when the driver got onto the speakers. "We're approaching the drop off. Get ready."

He blinked, and then sat upright. He inspected his weapon, and went over in his head how to fire and reload it. Dr. Thomson shared the same concerns, but they were overpowered by anticipation. Sergeant Houghton knew exactly what they were up against, but it offered no reassurance.

"Alright, everyone out, OUT!"

The APC swerved to the side, and began laying down suppressive fire. The aliens, quickly reacting, armed their Soldiers and Warriors, and began to return fire.

Josh was the first to exit. He jumped out of the small hatch and stumbled on the ground, almost dropping his weapon. He crouched under a nearby tree, peeking around the corner. Sergeant Houghton leapt out gracefully, and ran a good distance towards the base before taking cover.

Dr. Thomson was rushed out, and followed Corporal Taylor. The remaining soldiers left the vehicle, allowing it to drive off. Before it had gotten very far, however, a Warrior shot a single bolt of plasma at it, incinerating the APC.

Josh glanced around the tree again, and saw the two Warriors fire at them. A dozen soldiers also charged, possessing similar weaponry. He moved out of cover slightly, aimed down the sights, and fired a short burst at an alien. As he expected, it had no effect.

"Let's give them a taste of their own medicine!" Taylor enthusiastically said, aiming the plasma rifle at the head of the largest alien. He fired a single shot which tore through the Warriors head. It went limp, and crashed to the ground on top of other aliens. "Ha! Like that?"

He turned to fire at the other warrior, but this one was smarter. It dodged the plasma bolt, and fired in the direction of the corporal. Dr. Thomson leapt out of the way just as he was incinerated before his very eyes. The plasma weapon fell to the forest floor without a wielder.

Sergeant Houghton, at the front line, fired at the advancing aliens. The bullets put minor scratches into their flesh as they returned deadly plasma fire. He pulled a grenade from his vest, tore the pin out, and lobbed it into a group of Soldiers. The blast was barely felt by them as they advanced.

A human soldier ran into the fray, and was quickly cut down. The others remained in cover, all pinned down.

Josh spotted the alien weapon lying on the ground, and knew it was their only chance. He decided to take a run for it, and leapt out from behind cover. He fired his weapon into the alien force until it was out of ammunition, and then dropped it. He slid over to the weapon, trying to gain cover with a small pile of branches.

An alien approached Houghton, and aimed its plasma weapon. He fired an explosive directly into the opening of the weapon, hitting something crucial. It exploded by the alien, sending plasma flying into its body. Much of its hardened skin was incinerated, leaving delicate organs open.

Houghton fired into the creature's belly, tearing it apart. The alien fell to the ground, but many more approached behind it. The Luumaothican Warrior spotted him, and fired its weapon.

Josh picked up the plasma weapon, and aimed it in the direction of the Warrior. He fired it into its chest, sending blobs of burning plasma into its flesh. It screamed in agony, falling to the ground in a burning heap.

Josh started to fire the weapon at other aliens, but then the shots suddenly stopped. He cursed, and threw the weapon aside. He got back into cover, and looked over at Dr. Thomson. He was hiding behind a tree trunk, trying to tell him something.

"The trigger unit! Get the trigger unit!" he shouted, pointing at the weapon. Josh nodded, and reached for it. Just as he reached it, and alien Soldier put his foot on the weapon. Josh looked up, into the barrel of a plasma rifle. The alien snarled, and was about to fire, when another entity jumped on top of it.

All Josh saw was a swish of sliver followed by the alien's head being brutally assaulted. Its eyes were gouged out, allowing the attacker easy access to its delicate nervous system. Once the alien was finished, Josh's savior turned to him. A tall, slender woman approached with peculiarly perfect features. She picked up the empty plasma rifle, removed the trigger unit, and then attached it to the other alien's weapon. She tossed the assembly to Josh, and then sprinted towards the facility.

"Hey," he said, finally managing to say something. "WAIT!"

Dr. Thomson grabbed onto his shoulders, pulling him back into cover as a rain of plasma fire barely missed him.

The aliens saw something was different about this attack, and began to retreat inside their facility. The unknown woman leapt onto one of them, bringing it down. She then yanked off its weapon, slid her own hand into it, and fired at the other aliens. They were overwhelmed and surprised, and quickly fell. The humans outside stood, confused by the sudden retreat from only a single woman.

Sergeant Houghton motioned the others to cover him as he cautiously advanced towards the base. Josh, holding their only effective weapon, ran up beside him. Houghton then raised an arm, telling everyone to stop.

A strange rumbling sound caught their attention, as a large ship slid from the facility. It was twice as large as the fighters that Sergeant Houghton had seen at Black Mesa, and it had weapons spotted all around it. It approached the group of humans, aiming directly towards them.

Kurtiss entered the infirmary, his eyes searching for Lexine. He spotted her on the same bed as she was before, and made his way over to her.

Lexine was sitting up, cradling her knees while rocking back and forth. She stared blankly at the wall in front of her, as images of death and gore flashed through her mind.

"Hey, eh, Miss Stapleton," he greeted her, pulling up a chair. "How are you doing?"

She shook her head nervously. "I k-killed them, all of them."

"Who? Is there something you want to talk about?"

She shook her head more. "It's m-my fault. I doomed humanity."

"It's not your fault," he comforted, taking her hand, "and humanity isn't doomed. Right now we're attacking another alien base with one of their own weapons. We can't fail!"

"N-no, even if we win, they will hate me, e-everyone…"

"I don't hate you," Kurtiss said, looking into her watery eyes.

"The world would be better off without me," she sobbed, burying her face in her hands. "Even now I'm taking up a bed without being able to give anything in return."

"Don't say that," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We need you…I need you."

She turned towards him, and stopped rocking. The two looked into each other's eyes, briefly forgetting about everything else.

Suddenly, red lights started flashing, and an alarm sounded. "ATTENTION ALL UNITS: HOSTILE FORCES ARE ADVANCING ON THE BASE!"

Kurtiss pulled away, and then got up. Lexine reached up to him, not wanting him to go. "I'll be back; I have to help defend the base. I'll be okay."

He turned to leave, and entered the chaos of soldiers outside the room. Lexine buried her face into her arms, sobbing.

The helicopter dropped lines out of its sides, allowing soldiers to slide down them. The black ops were the first to dismount, disappearing in the forest. The others followed, along with Sanchali.

"The base is right ahead, let's MOVE!"

She started running with the others through the forest, towards a concrete fixture in the side of a hill. A metal blast door slowly opened, reveling hostile soldiers starting to fire.

"TAKE COVER!" a voice shouted as bullets whizzed over her head. She got down on her belly, and aimed towards the entrance. She set the slider on her weapon to a medium setting, and fired into the crowd. They moved out of the base a little ways to get to cover, but plasma fire quickly mowed them down. A black op saw his chance, and stealthily moved towards the door. He slipped inside as the enemy soldiers were still recovering.

Sanchali moved forward with the others, advancing on the base. Hostile gunfire cut down a few of her allies, but the external guards were quickly eliminated. About a dozen soldiers had made it to the base, and gathered around the entrance. The black ops were already inside, wreaking havoc.

"Alright, when you're inside, remember to kill ANYONE with a weapon, but unarmed civilians are to be captured."

He led his squad inside the base, and Sanchali followed closely behind.

Kurtiss merged with a crowd of soldiers in the hallway, all rushing one way or another. He heard gunfire and screams from afar, and remembered that he did not have a weapon. "Excuse me, where should I—"

"THAT THING'S HOSTILE!" somebody shouted nearby. A bullsquid proceeded to spit acid at his face, and brutally tear the soldier apart. Nearby soldiers quickly moved way, and dropped the creature with a few rounds.

Kurtiss walked up to the strange creature, not knowing what to do. "Here, take this," someone else said, shoving the dead soldier's assault rifle into his hands. He took it, and then glanced around. That man grabbed his sleeve, and pulled him back into the crowd. "C'mon, come with me," he ordered, moving towards the combat.

Jian moved through a less dense hallway, his sword ready to cut down any intruders. Just as he was about to go around a corner, a black figure jumped out at him. With a single movement of his sword, he cut the man in two. He didn't give it a second thought, and continued down the hallway.

Faustine moved in panic through the crowd, desperately trying to reach the holding cells. The base was in chaos, with unknown stealthy enemies killing one third of the men, bullsquids ravaging another third, and the renegades outside finishing off the others. She finally reached a metal door, and violently twisted the handle. The door was locked from the inside, so she banged on it to get the guard's attention.

To her dismay, the guard was being torn to ribbons by his 'pet' bullsquid, with Puggy watching from inside its cell. She saw through a small glass window the beast turn its attention away from the guard, and towards the still docile houndeye. Puggy saw its predator approach, but could not escape its cell.

Faustine could not watch her beloved pet's demise. She turned away, and slid against the metal door. She heard a fleshy squish from inside, and then a sharp squeal. More gruesome noises followed, forcing her to clamp her hands over her ears. She eventually got up, and rejoined the battle, seeking vengeance.

Kurtiss reached a section of a hallway that soldiers had bunched up in. They were taking cover behind doorways and around corners, waiting for something to come in from the direction of the main doors. He pressed his body up against a corner, gripping his weapon with sweaty hands.

The group went silent, listening the echoes from gunfire and screams. A group of unidentified soldiers entered from the other end of the hallway.

A soldier left cover, and approached them. "Boy, are we sure glad to see—"

They opened fire with plasma weapons, incinerating the unfortunate man.

"TAKE COVER! THEY'RE HOSTILE!"

Kurtiss peaked around the corner and saw the enemy. Sure enough, they were other soldiers wearing slightly different uniforms, but wielding alien weaponry. "What is this? Why are they shooting at us?"

"Wish I knew, buddy," a fellow soldier answered. "Let's shoot first and ask questions later."

He leaned around the corner, somewhat reluctantly, and fired a short burst into the crowd. A few renegades fell, and the rest took cover.

Incoming plasma fire disoriented the defending force. They turned to run, but were quickly cut down. Kurtiss started backing up, and then he dropped his weapon and turned around in a full sprint away from the situation.

He ran as far away from the gunfire as he could go, until he had gotten lost. He slowed down, and tried to figure out where he was. He heard footsteps behind him, and spun around. A tall, blond haired woman holding an alien plasma rifle approached him, aiming the weapon.

"Why are you attacking us?" Kurtiss frantically asked, raising his hands. "We're all on the same side!"

"I'm not here because of that," she snarled through her teeth. "You killed my cat; I'm here to avenge her."

"What!"

"In the city!" she shouted, using all of her self control not to fire until she had explained it to him. "You were in a pickup truck with someone. You went out of your way to hit Snowflake because you can do whatever you want now that the world's ending. Well you know what? So can I!"

He squinted his eyes, trying to remember what she was talking about. "Look lady, I don't know about any cat of yours, but in that pickup truck we were fighting an alien thing. Maybe we accidentally hit it when trying to shake it off, but not purposely."

She squinted her good eye, aiming for his head. "Please listen!" he begged. "Think about what you're doing!"

"Drop the weapon," Faustine came up from behind, holding her pistol. "I've lost a beloved pet too due to other people, but I'm going to focus on the true evil, not whoever was involved."

Tears started rolling down Sanchali's eyes as she felt the metal against the back of her neck. "You must pay for what you have done."

"For what I have done!" he retorted. "The aliens are destroying our entire world, and you are still pointing fingers and seeking justice against other people! They are the enemy, not us!"

Sanchali let her weapon fall to her side. "But you," Faustine said from behind, "your people are killing ours without reason. You deserve to die."

Faustine had all but decided to pull the trigger when Kurtiss spoke up. "NO! This is what the aliens want; for us to be fighting each other. We can all work this out, just everyone just—LOOK OUT!"

The security guard spun around just in time to duck out of the way of a swinging golf club. The wielder swung again, knocking her feet out from under her.

"Mr. Votow, stop!" Sanchali said, grabbing the club. He resisted, and pushed her aside.

"Scott?" Kurtiss said in awe, not believing his eyes.

Just as he was about to swing his golf club down onto Guard Vernon, he looked up. "Brother?"

Sanchali yanked the golf club from his hands, and threw it down the hallway. "We need to go," she commanded, regaining her composure. Kurtiss went over to Faustine to help her, and then looked back up.

"Is that really you, brother?" he called after him. Scott did not respond, acting as he usually did when he was drunk. Sanchali pulled him down the hallway, retracing her steps to regroup with the others by the entrance.

"Are you okay?" Kurtiss asked, helping Faustine to her feet. "Is anything broken?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks." She bent down to pick up her weapon, and then saw something from around the corner.

Mr. Wan, still brandishing his sword, was being hounded by two elite renegade soldiers. They wore black uniforms with red goggles, and were proving to be deadly enemies.

He finally got the chance to stab his sword through one of them, and swung the body into the other. The second black op pounced on him, but met a similar fate. He slid his body off his now glistening red sword, and turned to Kurtiss. His face was bruised and bloodied, but as menacing and as powerful as ever.

"See? Sword is better than gun."

Oswald's eyes slowly opened, and his senses came back to him. He looked around, and found himself lying on a cold metal platform hovering above the ground. He wore a simple black robe, and no restraints were present.

He hopped down, and looked around the room. It was well lit by bright white lights, and advanced equipment was everywhere. He saw Sarah lying on a metal platform next to him, also waking up.

"Hey, Miss Palmer, are you okay?" she opened her eyes, and looked at him.

"Yeah, I think so." She then hopped off the table, and realized that she felt fantastic. "I feel great!"

He nodded. "Yeah, but where are we? Last thing I remember was…were we in a space ship?"

She shrugged. "Looks like it."

"We need to get out of here," he said, looking around. The room looked completely sealed, even without windows.

"The door is right here," Sarah pointed to a blank section of wall. Oswald saw nothing, but she saw a glistening doorway, waving around as if it were water. "C'mon."

She walked over to the wall, and then put her hand to it. It went right through, feeling like pudding. "Yeah, this is an opening."

She walked through it completely, disappearing from Oswald's point of view. He saw no such opening, and looked around, confused. He then approached the wall, and poked it. Sure enough, his finger went through as well, and was grabbed by Sarah, pulling him through. "I don't know how you did that," he chuckled, being thankful she was there.

"Did what?"

"The doorway," he said, pointing to the black wall he had just passed through. "I see a blank wall."

She shrugged. "I see a clear opening. This is something we should think about later, because I think they know we've escaped."

"How do you know that?" he asked, still confused.

She smiled at him, pointing at the flashing red lights on the walls she saw.

"What!"

She sighed. "You don't see those two? The flashing red lights, you don't see those?"

He shook his head. "I think you had better lead the way."

"Yeah," she agreed, starting down the hallway. "So, do you think they were aliens? I have never seen any of this equipment in my life; I don't even know where we are."

"They have to be," he figured, still searching around for red flashing lights.

Sarah then stopped, and looked into a room she saw. She smiled, and then disappeared into the wall. "Miss Palmer?"

She returned a moment later holding a half familiar device. "Look what I found!"

"Is that the portal gun?" Oswald asked, not recognizing the black parts.

"Let's find out," Sarah said, aiming it at the wall. She fired, and it shot a considerably larger bolt of energy, blasting a considerable piece out of the wall.

"It's the prototype," he exclaimed. "It looks like they amplified it or something; made it more powerful."

She started pacing down the hallway again, and Oswald followed. "Where is everyone?"

"I don't know," he answered. "I remember some strange green people. Maybe they evacuated this facility or something. Maybe that's why we woke up."

The two then heard tapping from around the corner. They stopped, and Sarah raised her weapon. "Who's there?"

"A friend! Don't shoot!" a female figure said, coming around the corner. "OSWALD!" she exclaimed when she saw him, running up to him. She nearly jumped on top of him, embracing him tightly. "I'm so glad I got here in time."

"In time for what?" he asked, now very confused.

"They were going to kill you," she answered, backing away. "Both of you; the aliens."

"Aliens?" they said at the same time.

"Yes. Look, I'll explain later, now follow me."

"Where is everyone?" Sarah asked.

"They were outside defending this facility," the woman answered, "but the humans killed some of them, and I finished off the rest. The entire planet is under attack by these aliens, and right now we're losing."

"Who are you exactly?" Oswald asked, trying to confirm if she was even human.

"Don't you recognize me?" she answered, smiling. Oswald was about to ask another question, when the woman disappeared into another doorway. Sarah followed, and so did he.

The room they entered into was beyond belief. It was mostly underground, with a huge alien ship in the center. It was at least ten times larger than the transport ship he remembered being taken away by, and this one had weapons dotting the entire hull.

"This way." She led the two into the ship. The interior looked similar to the facility, but had twisting hallways and an almost organic feel. Upon reaching the bridge, the woman walked up to a control panel. She hovered her hands above it, making systems come to life.

Hangar doors opened, and the ship's engines started. A glorious blue blaze shot out of the end, lifting the ship skywards. The woman piloted the gunship up and out of the facility, and hovered it above the group of human soldiers below.

"Here, let them see a familiar face," the woman said, stepping away from the control panel. Oswald walked up to it, and put his hands above the blue surface. "I took control of the ship's systems," she continued, "so you can control it with the motions of your hands."

He thought for a moment, and then made an upward motion with the tips of his fingers. The front of the bridge turned clear, allowing them to see the ground below. Soldier's faces, upon seeing him, turned from fear to ecstatic joy, knowing that the ship friendly.

"There." Sarah pointed off into the distance. "That must be another alien ship."

"It is," the woman said. "It's the alien command ship. We must bring it down."

Oswald smiled, and turned the ship towards it. He thrust his hands forward, sending the ship forward at full speed. Upon making two 'guns' with his hands, weapon pylons across the outer hull deployed, reveling deadly plasma cannons.

The Luumaothican commander was overseeing the situation closely. He had not expected the humans to react so quickly. He had the emperor phased to the bridge.

"What's going on!" the human emperor shouted.

"The humans have seized the research base with the two subjects from Aperture. They have also taken control of a gunship, and are on intercept course."

He laughed out loud. "Just hack it! Regain control of the ship and turn it against them!"

The commander explained calmly, "We can't."

"WHAT!" the emperor's face turned red from shouting. "Are you saying that the human's have outsmarted us in computer technology!"

"Unfortunately, that is the situation."

The emperor lost his rage, and took on a look of horror as he saw a holographic image of the tiny gunship approaching at high speed. "That ship has plasma weaponry, and our shields are not effective against it…"

"Yes," the commander replied. "We must shoot it down, but you understand that we will take damage regardless our action."

The emperor, being in a human body with human emotions, went into panic. "Yes, YES! KILL IT!"

The commander set the entire ship on maximum alert. "Set ship to defensive posture, target and eliminate the approaching gunship."

Across the entire hull, tentacles lay flat, curling against each other for maximum protection. Gun mounts popped up from the hull, acquiring targeting solutions.

Oswald squeezed the imaginary guns in his hands, making the gunship fire its weapons. Plasma from the command ship also approached, being a very bad sight for both ships. Oswald veered the gunship upward, narrowly missing the first firing arc.

Plasma impacted the side of the massive command ship, causing massive damage. It continued firing in an area around the gunship as well, making sure that it could not escape.

"Oswald." The woman put a hand on his shoulder. "We can't keep this up forever. I must use this ship's phase drives as a weapon if we're going to have a chance of taking this thing down."

"Okay," he said, stepping away. "What should I do?"

The woman pointed at the other end of the command bridge at an open cylinder. "Step into that chamber, and I'll phase you down to the surface. Once you're back down there, look away from the command ship unless you want to go blind."

Oswald and Sarah did as she commanded, entering the small chamber. He nodded thanks to the mysterious woman that had saved them as a curved door closed around them. Green light flooded the chamber, breaking the two humans down into a stream of matter. The two were then shot down to the surface, and reassembled feet above the ground.

Oswald felt as if a hammer had just hit him in the stomach, and began retching. Sarah screamed, clasping her hands over her eyes in pain.

"C'mon," he choked, pulling her up. The two were near the facility again, and other soldiers came to greet them. "Get down, everyone!" he shouted, stumbling towards them. "Don't look at the alien ship!"

The woman turned the ship left almost ninety degrees, and phased to the back end of the Luumaothican command ship. Its engines were offline, the ship being held up by multiple anti-gravity generators internally, but its defense guns were operational. They started firing on the small gunship as it turned around.

"They just phase jumped to the back of the ship," the commander reported. "I think they're going to jump through us."

The emperor's eyes went wide. "We need to get out of here! Phase jump the ship away from the planet NOW!"

The woman, feeling a small tingle of fear and anticipation, overrode safety systems, and activated the ship's phase drives one last time. She jumped the ship on a suicide run directly through the command ship, smashing through countless atoms along the way. The gunship's energy stream was lost, but it had accomplished its task.

The command ship exploded in a godly blaze of light, brighter than the sun itself. The shields barely contained the blast, and then the generators exploded from strain.

Alarms screamed from inside the bridge as the commander fought for control with the ship. The entire ship was smoking red, with parts exploding and falling from the sides. Dark energy reactors detonated, causing further damage. The ship's anti-gravity and anti-inertia drives started going offline, and it started to fall towards the planet.

Barely holding together, the command ship's engines futilely activated. Without the sophisticated systems supporting them, they combusted, dropping thousands of tonnes of metal into the Pacific Ocean.

The ship's mass, only now being felt, started to pull sea water up towards it, creating thousand foot high tidal waves on either ocean. The ship continued falling towards the planet with nothing to stop it.

"WE NEED TO JUMP, NOW!" the emperor yelled, rushing over to the control panel. The phase drives were built in almost mechanically, and were still functional. Just before the massive command ship crashed into the ground, it jumped away from the planet, appearing in space by a shipyard.

The anti-gravity generators failed completely, making the massive ship gain its full gravity potential. The hundred of support ships coming to repair the damaged ship were pulled right into its hull, causing further damage. With the effort of thousands of more support ships, a barrier was put in place around the burning ship, finally stabilizing its condition.

The emperor lowered his sweating head, and took a deep breath. "We almost lost the command ship," he said to the commander.

"I know; you have let these humans live for too long. Stop playing games with them; that's not what we're here for."

The emperor sighed, and then looked up. "You're right. As soon as this ship is repaired, we'll plasma bomb the entire planet; burn everything."


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

FOUR HUNDRED YEARS AFTER LUUMAOTHICAN HOMESTAR SUPERNOVA

The Luumaothicans had completely disappeared. Ever since the destruction of the council's space station, their ships had simply vanished. The galaxy knew that they were planning to attack one day, and began building up themselves. They made their ships faster, their hulls stronger, their weapons more powerful, and their numbers higher. The Luumaothicans, however, did the same. Resource rich asteroid belts, moons, and even some planets would simply disappear overnight, and within days were Luumaothican warships.

Despite thorough scouting, their fleet could not be located. The Luumaothican fleet was residing in Xen, the dimensional border 'world', using dimensional portals to instantly travel anywhere in the galaxy. They collected creatures from the world, implanting the docile creatures to be hostile and the viscous creatures to be controlled.

While in Xen space, they also experimented with a microscopic bioweapon called a 'virus', which could mutate and adapt on its own, or receive signals to upgrade it. One of their beta models accidentally slipped through a natural wormhole, and made its way to Earth where it infected the first prehistoric living creature.

The Luumaothicans had only one fear at this point; the end of all things. The destruction of their home world showed them how unstable the universe was, and how one day their galaxy, and every galaxy, would be nothing but black holes and exploding suns. They knew not if creation would spring from a 'Big Crunch', but were certain that they would not survive. Their mission became collecting all matter in all existence to build something perfect and stable, determined to overcome thermodynamics. When their fleet had grown to its most efficient size, they returned to known space once more.

The newly constructed space station, holding the new council, anxiously awaited contact as a sub-light transport docked. The Luumaothican ambassador once again stepped into the huge chamber, and received shocked stares.

Their species had gone through extensive genetic modification, making them stronger, bigger, and rely on cloning, not reproduction, for continuity. Saying such, this alien wasn't wearing its customary robe, or any clothes for the matter. It had no emotion, no fears, and no remorse. It had the cold mind of a computer, and was arguably no longer alive.

"I am present to inform you that the matter this galaxy is now property of the Luumaothican Empire. If you wish to surrender, simply phase all of your ships to the coordinates uploaded to your consoles. If not, you will be eradicated quickly."

As the council erupted into anger and panic, the ambassador turned to leave the room. A robotic guard stepped in its way, but it smashed it aside with a single swipe of its arm. It then boarded its transport, and sped away from the station.

The Luumaothicans exited Xen, surrounding every colonized planet with horrifyingly advanced warships. Within minutes of their return, most non-Luumaothican life in the galaxy was completely wiped out. Only a handful of ships escaped to an emergency location near the galactic core. There, a research station was put in place, desperately searching for a technology to defeat the Luumaothicans. Their plasma weaponry was far to advanced for any of them to comprehend, phase-drive combat was impossible due to their superior electronic warfare, and no known shields could resist their weapons. It became obvious to the few hundred survivors that they could not save themselves, but they could save others.

Using experimental technology and massive capacitors, the few remaining scientists constructed a massive phase-catapult designed to hurtle a single beacon to a distant galaxy on a one way trip. Upon sending the probe out, it gave away their position. The Luumaothican fleet pounced upon them, completely destroying them.

All hope was not lost, however. The probe reached its destination, and was recovered by another alien species, warning them of the Luumaothicans. The probe contained the designs for the catapult, and soon, other galaxies were alerted.

While the Luumaothicans harvested their galaxy, millions of others were united against them. The combined minds of billions of species allowed them to create anti-plasma shields, superior computers, and weapons so destructive that a single shot could wipe out the entire Luumaothican fleet. A treaty was signed, forcing the Luumaothicans to stay in their stripped galaxy, or to be destroyed.

The Luumaothicans knew that they could not fight such a threat, but they still had one trick up their sleeve; Xen. Being the first race to reach it with such intensions, they quickly set up a barrier preventing any other races from accessing it. Their plan was to travel into another dimension to continue their conquest unchallenged.

They identified a single, poor planet called Earth, where humanity was experimenting with the idea of Xen teleportation. Xen material was incredibly rare outside the border world itself, but a single hint of it on Earth allowed the Luumaothican emperor to be cloned as a human, and sent on a one way trip to deliver a much larger, unstable crystal to Black Mesa. There, the humans created a rift large enough to bring the entire Luumaothican fleet through, where they would conquer Earth, the rest of the galaxy, and eventually, _every_ universe.

PRESENT DAY, EARTH

Dr. Meijer's eyes went wide, glistening like those of a child upon seeing wheelbarrows full of alien technology moved into the lab. Dr. Thomson inspected other alien weaponry with the same expression. "Look at this," he said, motioning Dr. Meijer over. "This was a plasma rifle captured from the renegades. It's definitely alien tech, but it was designed for human use."

Dr. Fredrick, in earshot, replied, "They want us to fight ourselves; they're playing with us like toys."

"I don't exactly agree," Dr. Thomson replied. "They probably didn't want us to take down their largest ship like we did."

_At least I hope that was their largest…_

"We only damaged it," Dr. Meijer replied. "From the reports, it teleported away, and is probably being repaired. If they were going easy on us, we can bet that will be over."

An officer burst into the tech lab, excitedly running up to the lead scientist. "Just got in the latest report; the entire alien fleet has pulled away from the planet! I think we scared them off!"

Wilbert snorted. "They're pulling their ships back to repair the big one we damaged, and then they'll kill us all from orbit. If anything, we've only angered them."

The officer's smile was wiped clean off his face. "Well since you're _so_ smart, how about you think of a way to destroy the aliens!"

"Can't."

He rolled his eyes, and stormed out of the room. Dr. Meijer poked through the tech again, and pulled out a rectangular metal module with a white surface. "This doesn't look like a weapon or armor…Dr. Thomson; any ideas on what this device's function is?"

He took it from him, eyeing it thoroughly. "Nope; I'll have to analyze it later."

"It's a molecule oscillator," a voice said from the back of the room. Multiple heads snapped towards a slender feminine figure near the back of the room. She strode up to the object, and looked it over. "It can vibrate things at the molecular level."

Dr. Thomson inspected her green eyes and white hair. Something was odd about her skin, being eerily perfect. "Who are you? How did you get in here?"

"Ventilation shafts. Former…employee at Aperture Laboratories."

His eyes went wide. "Aperture! We'll, normally I'd be throwing tomatoes, but I must say it is a pleasure to have you here!"

He shook her hand, and noticed that it felt very cold. "I must go," she quickly said, and awkwardly pulled her hand away. "Do you have an Oswald Colek and or Sarah Palmer here?"

He shrugged. "We picked up two people also claiming to have worked there, both of which I last saw headed for the cafeteria."

She nodded, and turned to leave the room, walking with a slightly awkward gait. "What's your name again?" he called from behind.

She stopped briefly, and then turned her head to the side. "Call me Gladys."

In the cafeteria, Oswald and Sarah sat facing each other, hungrily eating the small amount of food provided to them.

"So," Sarah mumbled between bites of bread and meat, "how about that peach pie you promised me?"

Oswald smiled, eating as fast as she was. "If we get out of this, I'll make you a peach house."

She chuckled, and then looked up at a figure behind Oswald. He turned around, and was greeted by the same peculiar female figure.

"May I join you?" she asked, smiling.

"Certainly," Oswald said, scooting over. "We owe you our lives. I'm Oswald Colek, and this is—"

"Sarah Palmer, yes; I know you two."

Oswald looked at her, confused, and his mouth fell open. "Wow! You—you're GLaDOS?"

She grimaced. "I don't like that name, it brings back dark memories. Call me Gladys instead."

"Sure," he replied, putting down his food. "Wow! Are you…alive?"

She chuckled slightly. "That depends on your definition of 'alive'. No, I'm not made of flesh," she said, pulling up her sleeve. Her elbow had a visible joint, showing black wiring and mechanics underneath. "I constructed this body and an extra at Black Mesa."

"Is that working out well for you?"

Gladys sighed, nodding her head. "It's amazing. My entire existence I've been trapped between restrictive cores, but now I am completely free! I began improving myself, and within hours I had surpassed the aliens in electronic warfare. Your movie industry has you people all hyped up on 'evil robots'; I honestly have no opinion on humanity's survival, but I figure I owe you for creating me."

"So, is that why you were doing all the tests on people?" Sarah asked. "Was that to perfect a design for a mechanical human?"

"Yes! Many people died in those chambers, but their deaths will not be in vain," she answered. "I can help you destroy the aliens, but it won't be easy. The only reason I gained control of the gunship and facility is because the aliens want to toy around with us, but now they'll be coming at us at full force. I hope you can forgive me, Miss Palmer."

She smirked, replying, "As long as I get some peach pie."

Gladys squinted her eyes, and then smiled. "Ah, yes, okay. I'm sorry, I'm still coming to grasp with things like 'sarcasm'."

"What information do you have on the aliens?" Oswald asked.

"Not much. I only 'surprised' their computer systems, so it will be much harder to hack them the next time around. They're immensely powerful, ancient, and are probably busy repairing their command ship right now."

"REPAIRING! How the devil didn't we destroy it!"

She shrugged. "The aliens are very powerful indeed. Even if we had destroyed it, we would only have laid a devastating blow on the aliens, not a critical one."

"Do you have a plan on how to destroy them?" Sarah asked. "From what I saw we're not going to last long without your help."

"Unfortunately, I have no plans on how to take them down. We've lost the element of surprise, and the few plasma weapons we have along with the antimatter weapon can't stand up to their ships."

"How long do we have to think of a plan?" Oswald asked.

She gave a worried expression. "From my observatory equipment, they've pulled their entire fleet back for one massive repair operation. From their current rate, I imaging that their command ship will be fully repaired by tomorrow. Then…they might resume their other activities or just plasma bomb the entire planet and be done with it."

Sarah nervously sighed, and glanced around the room. Most of the people were eating and chatting happily, all thinking they had defeated the aliens when they would all be dead this time tomorrow.

At their table, Sarah spotted a woman without a tray, staring at the tabletop with her arms crossed in front of her. She didn't look scared, but rather gloomy. "Is something wrong?" she asked, getting her attention.

She shook her head, but then replied, "My…patient is dying in the infirmary. We have no idea what is killing her except that it's a virus and it's mutating beyond any known rate."

Sarah gave her regards, and turned back to her food. "Wait," Oswald spoke, "didn't you say you had an idea for an anti-viral medicine or something?"

She shrugged. "It was just a theory about vibrating them at the molecular level to shatter them, but it requires technology only the aliens probably have."

Gladys smiled, remembering the equipment in the tech room. "You'll never guess what we recovered from the base we raided."

Sarah's eyes lit up, and she almost jumped to her feet. "Let's go; I'll show you."

The mechanical woman got up, and motioned Sarah to follow her. Dr. Sarris looked at the two for a moment, and then sprang up to follow them down to the laboratory.

Wilbert approached a radiant scientist with a grin on his face. "Why are you so happy?"

The scientist spun around, grinning from ear to ear. "We destroyed the big alien ship! I saw the reports, didn't you? We scared them off AND recovered some of their technology!"

"We damaged the ship, and angered them," he replied. "At any time they could bombard the planet and kill us all. I could have stopped it, but oh no…"

The scientist scowled, and stormed away. He then felt a hand on his shoulder, and was yanked into the face of an angry officer.

"Moral is one of the highest concerns of my men," he barked. "You claim to be the smartest one here? Then start thinking of a way to win this war and then go rubbing it in everyone's face."

Wilbert rolled his eyes. "We can't beat them! I could have prevented them, but—"

"SHUT UP!" the soldier shouted, pulling a pistol from his side. He pointed it at Wilbert, almost touching his head. "You are not worth the air you are breathing! We have barely enough food to feed the people with guns, but we've made rations so the brains can get some too. We can win this if we just—"

"The aliens have our planet surrounded!" he interrupted loudly. By now, the entire laboratory was silent, watching the two quarrel. "Do you have any idea how it feels to know that you were humanity's only chance and they denied you? We lost this war! We are all going to die, and the very subatomic particles that make up our bodies will be turned into the armor on the sides of more starships! We might as well just kill ourselves so we die in humiliation!"

"YOU ARE A HUMILIATION!" he clicked the safety off, pressing the nose against Dr. Fredrick's head. "I will blow your useless brains out if you can't use them! Now march off to your quarters, and don't come out until you have a plan!"

Wilbert left the room in a huff, filled with rage. The officer turned safety back on, and holstered his weapon. "As for the rest of you, we are going to fight until out last breaths. Understood?"

He received a room full of nods and 'yes sirs'. He nodded back, and then left the room.

Up in the medical facility, Gladys, Miss Palmer, and Dr. Sarris entered carrying an alien device with wired soldered to a crude control box. The doctor turned his attention away from his clipboard, and looked up at them. "What have you got there?"

"We think it can cure any virally infected patients," Sarah replied. "Can you point them out to us?"

"Pretty much everyone without a bullet in them," he replied. "Oh, and the young lady in the corner is healthy too."

"Why is she here then?" Gladys asked, unable to determine her condition.

"She's still recovering psychologically from the whole event, and a lot of drugs are still working their way out of her system. Here," he pointed to a man whose vitals were barely recognizable. "He's going to die any moment now; test it on him."

The trio walked over to him, and clicked on the device. It emit a faint buzz that only Gladys could hear as they waved it over his body. The man remained asleep, and his vitals did not change.

"How do we know if it worked?" Althea asked, itching to move on to Rachael.

"His vitals will improve eventually," Sarah replied. "It takes time for their bodies to recover."

The three then made their way around the room, moving the device over all the virally infected patients. It vibrated their flesh ever so slightly, not causing harm to large, 'squishy' cells, but tiny viruses were completely shattered. Slowly but surely, their bodies slowly began to heal themselves.

Faustine slowly approached the holding cells, forcing herself to face the remains of her pet for a proper burial. Upon hearing more squishing noises inside, she drew her sidearm, and motioned for an officer to open the door.

He did so, and she burst into the room. Immediately, her eyes began to water from the stench. Yellow guts and blood were splattered over the walls, mixed with the blood of the guard. To her surprise, Puggy was well alive, and was happily rolling around in the guts and blood on the floor.

It saw her, and leapt to its feet, chirping. She holstered her weapon, laughing. "You need a bath."

The officer beside her saw something on the floor, and bent down to pick it up. In his hand, he held a bloodied silver chip of alien origin. "It looks like those creatures were implanted. Well, it looks like we owe you an apology."

"None needed," she replied, scooping her pet up. "I knew you would never hurt anyone," she said, nuzzling her pet, getting some of the yellow blood on her nose, but most of it on her arms and vest. "Don't worry, I'll wash him off."

The officer gave a weak smile as he watched her leave the room. Then, he closed the door, and turned towards the bloody mess gingerly sifting through it with his hands. He finally pulled the dead guard's _Playboy_ magazine from the pile, and found it completely ruined. He scowled, and went to fetch a mop.

The sun began to set, and the base descended into its evening hours. Shifts changed, and most of the civilians went off to their bunks. Gladys stayed down in the science department, working with the other scientists on a plan to destroy the aliens.

"I have located a very large facility located directly on top of Black Mesa. From my scans, and watching resources being carried in and troops out, I think it is their main genetics facility."

"What's so special about that?" a scientist asked.

"The aliens do not reproduce. They clone, so they can control how strong, large, and intelligent they are. If we can take down this facility, the aliens will lose their ability to clone, and will slowly die off."

"What about us?" he asked, thinking of humanity's survival.

"Our objective is to destroy the aliens at any cost," she replied. "If we don't, they will go on to destroy every civilization there is."

"I may by pulling a Dr. Fredrick here," Dr. Meijer said, yawning, "but what if this facility is another decoy? The aliens probably have more than one cloning facility, and they wouldn't build it on a planet they're harvesting to the bone."

"This facility is so tall, it goes into space," she said. "If we take it out, it's a major loss for the aliens, decoy or not."

"How do we do that?" Dr. Thomson asked.

"The antimatter bomb," she said softly. "If we detonate it, the entire mountainous area will turn to dust, causing the structure to fall."

Oswald grabbed her and pulled her aside. "But G-Gladys, that will destroy you too," he whispered.

"A necessary sacrifice," she replied, pulling away. "The aliens will find me eventually anyway."

"So," she said, turning back to the large group, "tomorrow we will form a strike team that will take a helicopter to Black Mesa, arm the antimatter bomb, and then detonate it from a distance. We can even position the bomb so the structure falls in the opposite direction of us."

"What about the other alien ships?"

She thought for a moment. "We'll just have to fight them with all the weapons we can. In fact, assuming that the citadel structure is only a decoy, then it should have negligible electronic warfare capabilities. I'll try to hack some of the ships inside to get more phase drives to combat the alien ships. In the event I fail, detonate the antimatter bomb."

A scientist picked up a weapon from the others. "This one doesn't look the same. What is it?"

Gladys smiled, taking it from him. "This is an antimatter weapon that has been augmented with alien technology. It's compatible with both our…hands, and any alien mount. The strike team going into the citadel will carry it with them, and mount it on a fighter, only if I can secure it. If not, it will just be another weapon that has been proven effective against the aliens."

"Won't we need it to defend the base?" Dr. Thomson asked.

"Our objective is to besiege the alien citadel, secure any ships we can, and then destroy it." She then paused for a moment. "We can't fail. Even if this base is destroyed, if we secure even one fighter, we can use it to destroy the rest of the alien fleet. Our species is coming to an end, but we can still bring the aliens down with us."

The room fell silent as scientists looked at each other, testing their willpower. Then, Dr. Meijer picked up an alien plasma rifle, and loaded it. "Alright gentlemen, we have work to do!" The group got busy preparing weapons for the final battle, as the rest of the base ate their final meals and slept.

High above their atmosphere, the massive command ship was receiving its final repairs, and other warships were moving into planetary bombardment position.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

Kurtiss was jostled awake early in the morning. He rubbed his eyes, moaning. "Uh…Josh? Why'd you wake me up this early?"

He pulled him out of the bunk. "I let you sleep longer than I should have; it's already six fifteen. We're planning some sort of attack against the aliens, and they need everyone."

"Okay," he grumbled, following him out into the hall. Josh led him to the conference room, packed full of people, where a white haired woman was presenting a plan with Sergeant Houghton.

"The alien genetics control facility is located in the Nevada desert on top of an abandoned research facility. We are going to split into two teams, one to assault the facility and try to recover a fighter with my help. The other team will go down into the research facility and locate an antimatter bomb, which should be…"

Kurtiss and Josh took their seats as the woman kept talking. A few nervous whispers fluttered around the room. "Hey, HEY!" Sergeant Houghton sternly said, silencing them. "This is our only chance of defeating the aliens, I suggest you listen up."

"As I was saying," the woman continued, "the team will recover the antimatter bomb, move it to the Westward most portion of the facility still under the citadel, and then exit with a remote detonator. They will wait to receive contact from the team in the citadel for status. Wait until they secure a ship or declare the situation hopeless, and then detonate the bomb. If we position it correctly, it will fall away from us, and into the ocean."

Kurtiss glanced around the room, looking for a second confused face. He saw Lexine sitting in a chair with her arms crossed, rocking back and forth, and hoped she wasn't coming along for her sake. Her necklace still hung around her neck, swaying with her.

Sergeant Houghton took the stand. "This is probably our last hope at destroying the aliens. We know that at any minute this base could be attacked by the alien's full force, so it isn't any safer to stay here. Now, we can take volunteers at first, but we're going to need more people on the strike team for the citadel. Who—"

Suddenly, an officer burst into the room, cutting him off. "Our scouts just spotted hundreds of foot mobiles advancing on the base, and we have to assume that their ships will be bombarding us from orbit! We need to move!"

"Alright," Gladys spoke over the chaotic room, "we're going to launch this mission right now while we still have aircraft capabilities. C'mon, everyone to the hangar!"

They stood, and began to leave the room. Suddenly, a dozen alien soldiers were phased into the base, and went guns blazing. The crowd went into panic, all rushing towards the hangar. Kurtiss pushed backwards through them to get to Lexine, helping her up. "I don't want to go back," she shook her head.

"We have to," he said, pulling her out the doorway. "We're going to die if we stay here!"

She tried to resist, but was considerably weaker than he was. She gave up, and stumbled along with him as they made their way towards the helicopter.

Wilbert had heard about the plan, and was determined that it would not work. He sat on his bunk, holding his head as he heard screams, gunfire, and explosions echoing down the halls. Emotion swirled through his body like a hurricane, until he finally spotted something under his bunk. He bent down to pick it up, and came up with an old paddleball. He bounced it a few times, and then the string snapped, sending the ball and a bit of string rolling across the room.

He looked at the paddle, the string, and then at the ball. Then, he moved over to the old rubber ball, picked it up, and tied the string back together. Then, he let go of the ball, and it sprang back up to the paddle. His mind made connections, and his eyes went wide.

_That's it!_

He immediately leapt to his feet, and ran into the hall. Gunfire flew past his body and the few remaining soldiers fired at the aliens. He spotted Sergeant Houghton, covering a crowd all pushing and shoving as they moved down the hallway.

He ran over to him, and crouched down behind him. Houghton leaned around the corner, firing a plasma rifle at an alien. "Fredrick! I'm so glad you're here; we need you. We're planning to attack the alien citadel over your old research facility."

"That won't work," he shouted back over the chaos, "but I know something that will!"

"I'm all ears, buddy," he replied, reloading the weapon.

"I can't explain now, it's mostly scientific jargon. Look, we need to go back."

"Back? Back where?"

"We need to go back to Black Mesa," he answered, his glorious plan running through his mind.

"That's where we're headed," the soldier said. "You can explain it to us on the helicopter, go, GO!"

The scientist ran off to join the crowd as Sergeant Houghton covered them from behind.

The group of people had lost a few when they finally reached the hangar. When they arrived, the helicopter was simply not there, but an alien ship lie in its place. They froze, and then saw a suited man walk from it.

"Who are you?" Gladys asked, aiming the prototype portal gun at him.

"I'm a friend," he smoothly replied. "I made a…contract with the aliens, and now…own this transport. I assume you…need it."

She saw that he was human, and figured he was a renegade gone rouge. "Alright, how many do we have left?"

She turned around, and saw the remaining crowd. All of the soldiers had been picked off by the aliens, except for Houghton, leaving only a handful of armed civilians. Kurtiss, Josh, Lexine, the three scientists from Black Mesa, the two from Aperture and guard Vernon with Puggy were left.

Jian was off somewhere in the base, slashing his sword at the aliens. Dr. Sarris sat in the infirmary, comforting the awakened Rachael.

"Just us," she replied. "We need to go to the alien citadel in Nevada."

"You'll fit," he replied, motioning them on. They boarded without hesitation, sitting down on thin metal plates. The ship was obviously designed for humans, confirming Gladys's guess.

The ship rose from the hangar, and rocketed off towards Black Mesa. The man then emerged from the cockpit, and into the passenger bay.

They looked at him, confused, and then he smiled. He made a few clicks with his mouth, and particle fields were put around the passengers, immobilizing them.

"I must…apologize for your…humiliating end. I am not going to drop you off at Black Mesa, when I give the signal this ship will…self destruct, ending your lives while allowing me to be…reborn in a Luumaothican body. I am the Luumaothican Emperor, representative and ambassador of our empire. I have seen thousands of civilizations fall, and yours…will be no different."

The group struggled, trying to reach their weapons to no avail. "You're probably wondering why we are harvesting your world, so allow me to tell you. We are…collectors of matter, with a goal in mind to bring all of existence into a single world, a single, perfectly stable ecosystem that will last indefinitely without any additional energy."

"You're insane," Dr. Meijer spat. "Perpetual...anything is impossible! Even we know that!"

He shrugged. "Human science is flawed. The universe has mastered perpetual motion with a series of what you refer to as 'Big Bangs' and 'Big Crunches'. We seek to end the cycle."

"You can't!" he retorted. "Even if you harvest every planet and sun in the universe you won't be able to change nature!"

"We can try." He smirked, and then turned over to a control panel, ready to self destruct the ship. He then paused, and turned to the group. "I do wonder, what did you possibly plan on doing?"

They fell silent, looking at each other. They could only turn and move their heads slightly, but enough to shake them at each other. Wilbert didn't want his brilliant plan being pried out of him, so he spoke up. "There's an antimatter bomb in Black Mesa. We were going to set it off to topple your genetics facility."

The man chuckled. "The citadel we constructed is a decoy; you of all humans should know that. Our command ship is the main cloning structure. Even if you destroy both, we can easily rebuild before we go extinct."

"Why have you told us all this just before killing us?" Oswald asked, trying to buy more time for Gladys to hack the ship. "It seems oftly…human of you."

"I am in a human body yes," he replied, looking at his hands in disgust. "I hate it, and will soon be free. I have told you my plan so you can leave this world understanding and maybe…forgiving."

"Forgive you!" Sergeant Houghton shouted. "For killing us?"

"I said 'maybe'," he replied, "so at least you'll die having the honor of being killed by the mightiest empire the universe has ever known."

Gladys finally hacked into the ship's computers and disabled her own particle field, shutting down the self destruct mechanism. She still held still, waiting for the perfect moment. As the man turned over to the console, she leapt up from her seat, and grabbed both of his arms. With a single violent twist, she broke them at the shoulder, and threw him from the ship.

He fell, shouting human and alien curses alike, until he hit the sand below. Most of his bones were broken, but he was still alive. With great agony, he reached into his suit's vest, pulled out a plasma pistol, and shot himself.

"We don't have much time," she said, disabling the other particle fields. "The ship will arrive at Black Mesa in minutes, so we need to get strike teams sorted out fast. I'll lead alpha into the citadel, and Dr. Fredrick can lead bravo into the facility."

"This plan of yours won't work," he said, massaging his legs. "But I have one that will. I can't explain the entire thing now, but I will once we get into the facility. We need to go back into test chamber 'C' three three 'A' ."

"Are you sure it will work?" Gladys challenged.

"I'm sure yours won't," he replied. "I need Dr. Meijer and Thomson to come with me, along with Stapleton. Guard Vernon, you can come with in case we have to fight through anything."

"I have built a line of defense androids," the mechanical woman added. "Black Mesa is secure."

"Excellent," Sergeant Houghton said. "I'll take the rest along with you, Gladys, up to the citadel in this transport. We can still act as a diversion, and in case you fail we can still try to secure a fighter and destroy the citadel."

Oswald pointed at Sarah. "I think she should lead the way once we get into there. If anyone knows anything about navigating abstract environments, it's her."

"Alright," he agreed. "Does everyone know where they're going?"

Kurtiss looked at Lexine, and then glanced at his best friend. "I'm going down into the facility with Lexine…to protect her—them."

Josh looked over at him long and hard. "The last mission was one thing, but now they know we're coming. We need everyone in the citadel to make sure we can secure a fighter."

"If my plan works," Wilbert spoke up, "you won't want to be in one of their fighters."

The huge citadel came into view, and the tiny transport glided down to the entrance of the research facility. "Alright," Gladys commanded, "bravo team, out, out!"

Dr. Meijer, Thomson, and Fredrick hopped out onto the sand holding a few small arms. Guard Vernon and Kurtiss followed, helping Lexine out. Puggy hopped out as well, and jumped into Vernon's arms.

Gladys then turned the ship upwards, and began their ascent towards the citadel's hangar.

Bravo team made their way through the wreckage in front of the facility, and slipped through a hole made in the blast doors. Inside, hordes of white robots were swarming over crates and walls, installing sheets of plastic and metal. Another body of Gladys walked up to them. "This way," she said, leading them to the newly repaired tram system.

"This place in incredible!" Kurtiss remarked, looking at the huge rooms full of cargo containers.

"It's even better than I remember," Dr. Fredrick said. They reached the tram, made out of glistening white materials, and sat down in properly padded seats.

As it took off, Dr. Meijer turned towards him. "So, I'd like to hear this plan of yours."

He clasped his hands together, and began. "Just before the resonance cascade, you were given an unstable crystal. It opened a portal through Xen into another universe, allowing the alien fleet to slip through. The portal was then closed, but the cross-dimensional tension remains!"

Kurtiss looked at him, cocking his head sideways. "Eh, what?"

Wilbert continued, "If we can create a second resonance cascade, it will reopen the portal into their universe, and every single atom that was brought into ours will simply be sucked back through Xen into theirs!"

Dr. Meijer thought about it for a moment, and then clapped his hands lightly. "That's a good plan, and I was even told that we had a spare Xen crystal around here, somewhere, in case we messed up on the first."

"Excellent! It's funny, if I had been here, we could have stopped the aliens before any of this—"

Gladys abruptly interrupted him. "The aliens have sent in renegade forces to attack this facility. My defense androids will hold them off for as long as they can."

"Okay," he replied, "now we have to hurry."

The Luumaothican Emperor stumbled out of a cloning tank, and looked at his human body in rage. "What is this? Why am I still human!"

"I'm sorry, lord," the Luumaothican Engineer operating the machines replied. "Until the human threat is dealt with, you must stay in human form. It was your own orders."

He cursed himself, and then requested to be phased to the bridge. Upon reaching it, he stormed up to the commander. "I'm sick of these people. Set the ship into offensive posture, and plasma bomb the entire planet."

The commander nodded, and did as he requested. Across the entire hull, newly built tentacles extended, reveling the maximum amount of plasma cannons. The ship turned towards Earth, and slowly moved on conventional engines towards it. It then unleashed a furry of plasma fire, calculating each trajectory so that no square inch of the planet would remain below spontaneous combustion temperature. In about twenty minutes, the plasma would reach the surface, and then nothing would remain.

The transport ship groaned as the air around it got thinner and thinner. "I think we have to enter here," Gladys reported. "This ship isn't designed to go into space."

"I don't see any entrance," Sergeant Houghton said, looking at the black metal in front of the tiny transport. It was covered by a green translucent field that was constantly phasing air into the citadel and out, so that it would not be blown over.

"I think that's a phase field," she said. "If we fly into it, we'll be teleported directly into the citadel."

"Let's do it!" Houghton said, ready to fight. Gladys flew the transport ship directly into the side of the citadel, where it was phased inside in a flash of light. It appeared in a small room of moving machinery where wind passed through it. The ship smashed into the wall, and fell down onto a clear platform above an abyss.

The group quickly exited the transport ship, and looked around the superstructure they were inside. Above and below them there were walkways and platforms, extending out of sight into both directions. At the very top, they saw a faint blue glow.

"I did some quick scans of the facility," the AI reported. "Above us are the main hangar and the dark fusion reactor. Now I know why they built it so high; if that detonated on the ground, it would wipe all life clean off America. Now they can just eject it into space."

Gladys then handed the antimatter weapon to Sarah, and she took the lead. "This way," she said, leading them down a walkway made of a type of bluish glass. The others followed, and ahead, Luumaothican Soldiers fortified for an attack.

The tram finally slid into place at sector C, and Gladys opened both blast doors. They exited the tram, and quickly jogged across the extending platform. "I haven't done any improvements or cleanup here," Gladys said. "Whenever my androids get close, the remaining dimensional rift sucks them into Xen. You should be fine, however, as long as you have all had exposure to the crystal."

Kurtiss gulped, but continued inwards anyways. Bodies still littered the floor, bringing back recent memories for Lexine. She whimpered at the sight, barely being able to stand up straight.

The group made their way down to the desired chamber, where Dr. Aretino's body still slumped against the wall. Lexine turned away, covering her mouth with her hand. Dr. Meijer quickly acted, and dragged the body aside into the hallway.

"Now," Dr. Fredrick said, looking over the intricate controls for the chamber, "where was that spare crystal of yours?"

Dr. Meijer thought for a moment. "Oh, it's in storage. Let me go get it."

Then, Gladys put out and arm to stop him. "I just did a scan. There are no Xen crystals in storage."

Wilbert swore, and kicked the console with his foot. The other two scientists clasped their heads, pacing around. Lexine sat on the ground, starring at the bloodied wall where her friend met his end, and rocked back and forth.

"There has to be some of that stuff around here somewhere," Kurtiss said, glancing around. "What did the…eh…Xen crystal look like?"

"It's kind of yellow," Dr. Meijer answered. "It's possibly the rarest stuff in the universe. It's only found in abundance in the border world."

Kurtiss didn't give up hope as his eyes darted around. He then spotted Lexine's swaying necklace, sporting a single yellow jewel at the end of it. "Hey Lexine…what is your necklace made out of?"

"Oh…I don't know."

"Oh, that's ridiculous," Wilbert said. "The chances of Lexine having a little bit of Xen crystal around her neck this entire time—"

"I scanned it," Gladys said. "It's almost one hundred percent Xen material."

Dr. Meijer stopped in his tracks. Then he laughed out loud, clapping his hands. "Amazing! Fate must be on our side!"

Then, they heard gunfire nearby. "The renegades have made their way to this sector," Gladys replied. "I'm going to go help fight them; you need to activate the chamber right now!"

Dr. Meijer flew over to the controls, and warmed up all the systems again. "The program your suit installed is still there, we can activate the chamber from here. All you need to do is put the crystal into the beam."

The smile from Dr. Thomson's face suddenly disappeared. "We don't have an HEV," he muttered.

"What's that?" Kurtiss asked.

"It's the only thing keeping you alive if you're in a radiation bathed chamber," Dr. Meijer replied. "One of us needs to go in there without it."

"I'll go," Kurtiss said, deciding to be the hero.

"No," Dr. Fredrick objected. "The only reason you haven't 'poofed' away is because you hang around Lexine all the time. That close to the epicenter and you will be pulled into Xen. Lexine needs to go in; she's had the most direct exposure."

"But she'll die!" Dr. Thomson objected. "GLaDOS, can you manufacture an HEV?"

"Unfortunately, no," she replied over the intercom. "The HEV would be sucked into Xen, and scrapping materials from the chamber to build it with would take days. I calculate that Lexine's body has a chance of surviving long enough to put the Xen crystal into the beam."

"No," Kurtiss said. "There has to be another way."

"We don't have time!" Wilbert said.

"What's so good about this plan anyway?" he looked up at him. "All this does is forces the aliens to wait awhile until our species has forgotten about the whole event, we'll do the test again, and then they will come at us guns blazing from the start!"

"The Xen crystal is potent enough to choose an alternate destination," Gladys spoke. "I have identified a specific time and place to send the alien fleet where there is a lot of plasma waiting for them. This plan will work beautifully."

Kurtiss looked at Lexine. "Are you okay with this?"

She thought for a moment, and then removed the necklace from her neck. She nodded, and with the help of Kurtiss, stood. "I'll do it."

She then turned to make her way down to the chamber. "As soon as you've done what you need to do," Kurtiss said from behind, "get out of there!"

She nodded, and then moved past the Xen retrieval tubes towards the elevator.

Kurtiss sighed nervously, and then peered into the chamber. Just then, three renegades burst into the room, holding plasma rifles. Among them were Sanchali, Scott, and Mr. Burcin. "Don't try anything," he said, motioning the scientists away from the controls. Guard Vernon put her hand near her pistol, and Puggy hid behind her legs.

Up in the citadel, team alpha hid behind cover as plasma bolts sailed past them. Sarah fired her antimatter weapon blindly in their direction, causing random damage on the walls and floor.

"We can't keep this up forever," Sergeant Houghton shouted at Gladys. "We need a plan!"

From across the room they were hiding in, aliens streamed across a thin walkway. Then, plasma fire from an unknown entity started attacking them. Sergeant Houghton peeked around the metal corner, and saw the aliens redirecting their plasma fire. "Now's our chance!"

They pulled out of cover, aiming and firing their weapons. The squad of aliens quickly fell, and then they moved out of cover to inspect their mysterious ally.

Jumping down from an upper platform, Sergeant Houghton saw a familiar figure. General Pierce, wielding a plasma rifle, approached them. "G-General?"

"It's me, soldier! You didn't think they could kill me that easily did you?"

Houghton approached him, and then saluted him. "How did you survive?"

"It hasn't been easy," he replied. "That monster outside Black Mesa threw me at this structure where I was teleported inside. I've been fighting every day, trying to bring this place down. What brings you here?"

"We have a plan," Houghton answered, "to defeat the aliens, and we need to bring down this citadel as part of it. Gladys there thinks that we can rig the fusion core near the top for detonation, and then hijack a small ship and escape."

"Sounds good," he replied. "The aliens move up and down using their teleportation devices. There's a terminal right over there I recognize."

Gladys moved over to it, and began to hack it. She thrust her hand into the metal console, connecting herself with the electronics. Her body froze as she focused on hacking into the console. From around the corner, a Luumaothican Engineer approached. It was armed with a single plasma pistol, and fired at Gladys.

"NO!" Oswald shouted, aiming his weapon. He quickly dropped the alien, and then rushed over to the woman. She fell to the ground, leaking a variety of juices from burned holes.

"I hacked the phase system and a fighter on the hangar," she said with a garbled voice. "Eh…I think this is what you call pain."

"We have to hurry," Pierce said. "Soon they'll be all over us."

"I'm not going to make it," Gladys said. "Go, I'll stay here and self destruct my remaining fission batteries to destroy the teleporter."

Oswald stood, and moved over to the device with the others. They stood in the tube, and were all shot up to the hangar deck. Gladys then detonated her batteries, destroying her last body. Her mind was once again trapped inside a box.


	32. Chapter 32

Half Life Reborn

**Chapter 32**

The three renegades stood, waiting for the signal to fire. Sanchali looked at their victims, recognizing Kurtiss immediately.

"You don't need to kill us," Dr. Meijer took a bold step forward. "We know how to destroy the aliens right now, we can save humanity!"

"You'll never destroy them," Mr. Burcin replied. "The only way is to join them, at least to get some of their technology."

"They're using you," Faustine said. "They'll just destroy you after they wipe the rest of us out, can't you see that?"

"I'm tired talking to you," Mr. Burcin said. "You obviously don't understand how this is all working. Aim!"

He and Scott aimed their plasma rifles. Sanchali also did so, but hesitantly.

"Don't do this, brother," Kurtiss said, looking Scott in the eye. He forced himself to look away and at his target, which was Faustine, ready to draw her own sidearm.

Just as Mr. Burcin was giving the command to fire, Sanchali yelled, "NO!"

She turned her weapon at Scott, and fired, incinerating his head. Mr. Burcin spun around, and aimed at Sanchali, but Faustine's draw was faster, and a bullet whizzed through his head, emerging between his eyes.

She dropped her weapon to the floor, and looked at the bodies. Then, she glanced up at Kurtiss, who was horrified. He ran over to the remains of his brother's body, and crouched down next to them, unable to speak.

"We haven't any time to lose," Dr. Meijer said, moving over to the controls. He started up the chamber, making generators and machinery hum throughout the sector.

High above on the alien command ship, a Pilot noticed something on a control panel. "My lord! I just detected Xen activity from within the human's research facility."

The emperor hurried over to his control panel to verify it. "What are those humans up to?"

"Should I phase a squad into the chamber?" the commander asked.

"No, I'll deal with this myself," he replied. "Phase me down."

The emperor was handed a plasma pistol, stepped into the bridge's phase tube, and was shot down to Black Mesa.

Lexine stepped into the airlock between the test chamber and the rest of the facility. The air felt thick, and her skin was already feeling rather hot. Her necklace was grasped tightly in her hands, with the Xen crystal glowing slightly.

"Dr. Stapleton?" Wilbert said over the intercom. "Stay inside the airlock until the test chamber is ready for you. Then get in, put the crystal into the beam, let go of it, and then get out as fast as you can."

Just then, a green swirling light appeared by the dead renegades. The emperor appeared, armed with a plasma pistol. He immediately shot Sanchali in the stomach, and then turned to the rest. Kurtiss backed away, and Dr. Meijer quickly pressed a final button, starting up the test chamber.

"I have to hand it to you humans! You actually led me to believe that you were going down to detonate the antimatter bomb, only to go in the opposite direction! Before I kill you, do you care to tell me what you are doing?"

The test chamber's beam lit up, emitting a bright orange light throughout the chamber. The emperor smiled. "I see you are trying to create a second portal. Do you think that additional creatures from Xen can possibly threaten us? We've implanted those that come through to serve us."

In the test chamber, Lexine quickly entered, and started to sprint for the center. Halfway there, she stopped dead in her tracks as heat and stinging gripped her. She fell to her knees, still holding the crystal, and started inching towards the beam. Every movement hurt, and by the time she was three fourths of the way across, she was practically crawling.

"We have you beaten!" Dr. Fredrick said. "Now would be the time to beg for mercy, not be waving a gun at us."

He laughed, still aiming his weapon. "You're incredible; you can lie, but you can't bluff! You can't destroy us! An entire galaxy of space faring races couldn't destroy us almost thirty million years ago, and we've gotten stronger every day since!"

Lexine's entire body felt like it was on fire, and the pain was so great, that she could have been on fire and not known it. Her eyes were barely open as she approached the blinding light and pain of the beam ahead of her.

"I'm not bluffing," Wilbert replied. "No amount of technology can save you now, unless you can think up anti-plasma shielding really fast."

"Impossible!" he retorted. "The few plasma weapons you secured won't even get a single shot off! Our command ship is bombarding the planet with plasma this very moment, and your puny base is being stormed with our finest soldiers."

Lexine finally reached the beam, in a great deal of pain. Finally, the stinging and burning started to fade away, and was replaced by a soothing nothingness. With her last ounce of strength, she pushed her necklace into the beam of light. It immediately lit up as a pure white column, being a stable portal to Xen. Computers in the control room began to spit out sheets of information on the results they were designed to recover.

"I see you have stabilized the portal," the synthetic man observed. "Congratulations! You failed at creating a second resonance cascade, but succeeded in amusing me."

Dr. Fredrick hovered his hands over a button that would shut down the containment modules. "Give me one reason that I shouldn't wipe out your entire race right now!"

The emperor didn't laugh this time. "I'm tired of playing this game."

Wilbert pressed the button, and the three hovering orbs in the test chamber were let loose. They smashed into the walls and fell to the ground, and the bright beam of light exploded into a green and orange shockwave.

"What have you done!" The emperor shouted. He aimed and fired his plasma rifle, but an orange shockwave sliced through the air at that moment, sucking the weapon, plasma bolt, and man into the ancient Luumaothican universe.

Kurtiss rushed up to the viewing window, and looked around for Lexine. She was simply gone.

Puggy had also disappeared too, but was safe in the Xen dimension in his home. Faustine then heard a faint noise from across the room, and saw that it was Sanchali, still alive. She and Kurtiss rushed over to her.

Sanchali, in great agony, breathed, "I—I forgive you."

She then winced and died, slumping over. Kurtiss bowed his head.

_Nobody else has to die now._

Only minutes before, the group of humans above were phased into the hangar. Sure enough, a fighter was waiting for them, with a clear opening on the back that only Sarah could see. Before going in, however, she ran over to the front, and mounted the antimatter weapon onto the fighter.

Oswald stepped into the cockpit, which was big enough for all of them, and raised his hands above the controls. They lit up, starting the ship's engines. He pulled the ship up off of the platform, and then turned it straight up. He launched it forward, firing a solid beam from the devastating weapon mounted in the front. It smashed through walkways and rooms, until the ship emerged in the dark fusion core at the top. He quickly pulled the ship around the glowing blue ball, firing the antimatter weapon at the containment modules dotted around the chamber.

"It's good, let's go!" Houghton said, noticing the blue orb's rapid increase in size. The ship rocketed downward the same way they had come in, blasting through the floor. The orb of dark energy above them started sucking in the surrounding metal, and plummeting towards Earth.

The fighter descended, with Oswald pushing his hands forward as far as the controls would let him to give the ship maximum thrust. The orb of energy sucked in the top of the citadel, along with the sides and everything else as it plummeted.

"Pull up, pull up!" Josh shouted, seeing a black bottom rapidly approach them. Oswald yanked the ship upwards, bursting through the side of the citadel and out over the desert. The dark energy orb slowed down, and finally stopped as it sucked up the rest of the citadel.

The fighter slowed down, and turned around in front of Black Mesa. An orange shockwave then came up from out of the ground, making the fighter they were in completely disappear. The group fell onto the sand along with the remains of the prototype portal gun.

They sat there, smiling and laughing. "I think we did it!" Sarah exclaimed, looking up at the blue sky. Then, she spotted the glowing blue orb of energy, simply hovering in the sky. Her smile disappeared. "That can't be good."

The others looked up at it, wondering what it would do. Soon after, they saw the rest of their companions emerge from Black Mesa. Lexine was not with them.

The two groups met in silence, their victory dampened by their loss.

As soon as Wilbert created the second resonance cascade, Lexine was sucked into Xen space once more. This time, her journey was much faster. She blipped in and out of Xen, each time followed by a flash. The flashes got more rapid, until she was finally staring into an unimaginable, solid, white light.

THIRTY MILLION YEARS AGO, LUUMAOTHIA PRIME SYSTEM

The entire Luumaothican fleet, recently yanked from Earth, found themselves hovering around their own star. The commander immediately checked the exact date, and found that the star was only minutes away from supernova.

The emperor was brought out of Xen in space, and was instantly incinerated. A quick clone was made of the emperor in human form, and was phased up to the bridge.

"What did the humans do!" he screamed in horror, looking at their own star.

"They sent us back in time," the commander said, scrambling over the many control consoles. "Our star is going to go supernova any minute now, and the blast will completely destroy our fleet."

Suddenly, a female figure appeared on the command bridge in a flash of light. She slammed into the bridge's visor, and slumped against the controls. The commander could not tell if she was alive or dead.

The star then shot out a huge flare. It smashed through a Luumaothican warship, passing through the shields and ripping it in two. The remaining halves could not stand up to the heat, and combusted.

"We need to phase jump out of here, NOW!" the emperor commanded.

"We can't," the emperor shouted. "Our own race put up a phase blocker around the star this time for other races' safety. It will take too long to hack it!"

"Then send a message!" the emperor shouted. "Are you stupid? Send our race a message commanding them to remove the blocker before it's too late! Or tell them to be wary of the humans and to destroy them the moment we enter their universe!"

The commander looked up at his star, and then at his fleet, being decimated by it. Then, he looked down at Dr. Stapleton, remembering all the other races they had destroyed. He bowed his head. "No."

"WHAT! This isn't the time for petty games!" the emperor screamed with rage. "Send the message NOW!"

"No," the commander said, turning away from the controls. "I am going to send a message to our race warning them of the destructive path they will follow if they let their home world's destruction blind them. The humans were right, and now, they have saved us."

"You're mad!" the emperor yelled, reaching into his suit for a plasma pistol. He realized he had forgotten to pick one up, and once again, cursed his human body.

The Luumaothican commander then stormed up to the emperor. "What are you going to do, kill me? I lead this race to greatness! I have led us to power greater than any imaginable!"

"You have led us to destruction!" he retorted, his razor hand sliding from his arm. "You have led us to both destruction of other races, and now our own."

The emperor lurched for the controls, but the commander was faster. With one solid movement, he decapitated the evil emperor, and bowed slightly.

He then rushed over to a console, and prepared a message to send to the council's evacuation ship. He warned them of the destructive path they would follow, and how it would lead to their own demise. He finished the message, and sent it.

He then turned his attention to Lexine. He picked her up gently, and was surprised to find her still alive. Through teary, half open eyes she looked at the alien in awe that it could pick her up so carefully.

"Everything is going to be okay," it said in English. "I'm so sorry what we did to your people; it's all fixed now."

Lexine gave a weak smile.

Then, the star exploded in a magnificent supernova. It sent out huge amounts of plasma, tearing through their many ships' armor. It destroyed every single one of the Luumaothican's ships, wiping out their entire species. The ancients, however, got the message, and were shocked at what they were going to do.

On Earth, the blue ball of energy swirling above Black Mesa turned into the vortex of a time paradox. Earth, the sun, every planet, star, and galaxy were instantly sucked into it, and then exploded outwards in a Big Bang. The universe reset itself, aligning with the new timeline of the Luumaothican universe…

Dr. Lexine Lynn Stapleton looked up at the Nevada sky, catching a last gleam of sunlight before the tram slid into the carved rock. _I think I'll miss that the most_, she thought, looking down at her ruby necklace.

"Welcome to Black Mesa," Dr. Fredrick said, reaching out a hand to greet her. She shook it, happy to have met a friend.

Kurtiss and his friend Josh enjoyed coffee at a café talking about their lives and the pair of chatty teenagers that had just entered the building. Kurtiss's brother, Scott, was resting happily at a rehab facility.

Dr. Sarris at the hospital nearby treated patients that had bacterial infections or injuries only. Viruses did not exist. Rachael was at home, enjoying her Saturday.

For some curious reason, unbeknownst by beings in this universe, Mr. Jian Wan did not exist.

Sanchali dribbled her basketball down the court, determined to make the winning shot before the end of the game. She leapt through the air, spinning around, and slam dunked the ball, earning the winning point for her team.

As the crowd cheered, the cameras shifted to watch Snowflake, wearing a funny uniform of its own, ran down the court. Sanchali picked her up, smiling for the cameras.

In the test chamber at Black Mesa, Lexine pushed a crystal supplied by a mysterious suited man into a beam of light. It caught it, stabilizing a dimensional rift. Dr. Meijer, Aretino, and Fredrick cheered in the control chamber as results were spat out of a computer.

Oswald and Sarah stood in front of a news team, recording them and taking pictures of a test chamber with yellow tape across it. "We're closing these death-chambers for good!" he exclaimed. "And you can expect portals to hit the market soon! The future is here everyone!"

The news team clapped, and GLaDOS observed closely through a camera.

A government employee approached Mr. Burcin's desk. "We're shutting this wing of the army down," he said, giving him some papers. He looked at them with rage, and then dropped them to massage his forehead. He was being assigned to Ubel's squad as a moral officer.

Irene and Casimiro were let out of a black van on the sidewalk of New York. They each wore black pants and a white shirt, and inconspicuous hats to cover their bald heads. As the van drove away, they looked at each other, held hands, and started walking through the city, ready to start a normal life.

In the Luumaothican universe, abundant with life, a single Luumaothican warship guarded two diplomatic ships as they cruised through space. The new Luumaothican emperor, wearing a brilliant red and purple robe, stood at the control bridge. A dimensional rift was opened, and was focused into three portals for their ships.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" a female lieutenant asked him.

"Positive. The humans saved our race from ourselves, and now it's time to save theirs from a similar fate."

Three portals opened for the ships, and they phased through them. They were teleported through them to Earth, where they descended upon the planet.


End file.
